LONDON: A British-Pakistani cricketer has called out his former club for 鈥渋nstitutional racism鈥� after a former teammate admitted to using a racial slur against him.

Azeem Rafiq, who used to play for Yorkshire County Cricket Club, responded on Twitter to former England cricketer Gary Ballance鈥檚 admission that he used a racial slur against him when the two played together.

Ballance said he regretted using the slur 鈥淧**i鈥� 鈥� a racist term usually directed at anyone who appears to be of South Asian descent 鈥� against Rafiq. 

In other instances not directly attributed to Ballance, Rafiq 鈥� who played for the club for two spells between 2008 and 2018 鈥� was made to feel uncomfortable about his religious practices.

In a statement posted on Twitter on Wednesday, Rafiq said: 鈥淚鈥檓 not intending to say very much until the select committee hearing later this month. However, I wanted to stress this is not really about the words of certain individuals.

鈥淭his is about institutional racism and abject failures to act by numerous leaders at Yorkshire County Cricket Club and in the wider game. The sport I love and club desperately need reform and change.鈥�

A previous internal report obtained by sports news website ESPNCricinfo found that Rafiq had been the victim of 鈥渞acial harassment and bullying鈥� while playing for YCCC.

The club had tried to claim that the use of the term P**i by individuals was in the spirit of 鈥渇riendly banter,鈥� and had previously said it would not take disciplinary action against any players, employees or executives.

Rafiq will appear before a select committee later this month 鈥� as will the club鈥檚 Chairman Roger Hutton 鈥� to discuss YCCC鈥檚 handling of the allegations. But the controversy has already begun to take its toll on the club.

Major sponsors including Yorkshire Tea, Anchor Butter and others have ended their association with YCCC, and investigations by the England and Wales Cricket Board could end with punishments including the stripping of the club鈥檚 grounds as a Test match venue.

Ebadur Rahman, founder of Nujum Sports 鈥� which introduced the Muslim Athletes鈥� Charter into British sport to encourage clubs and governing bodies to commit to 鈥渆quality and diversity for all鈥� 鈥� told Arab News that authorities and clubs should tackle 鈥渁ll forms of discrimination and racism.鈥�

He added: 鈥淲e need their support and understanding, otherwise our work and that of similar organizations will be in vain. They need to stand up and call out against racism and discrimination whenever they see it, especially when they find it in their own organizations.鈥�

Other figures from the sporting world have also voiced support for Rafiq. Monty Panesar, former captain of England鈥檚 cricket team, slammed YCCC for claiming that the use of the racial slur was 鈥渂anter.鈥�

He told TV show 鈥淕ood Morning Britain鈥�: 鈥淚 think they鈥檝e completely mishandled this case. They haven鈥檛 taken serious concern for Azeem Rafiq and his welfare. They鈥檝e kind of termed it as banter which sits uncomfortably with me.鈥� He added: 鈥淭he P word is a racist term and shouldn鈥檛 be defined under the banter bracket.鈥�

YCCC on Thursday said it will hold an emergency board meeting on Friday to discuss Rafiq鈥檚 allegations.