EXCLUSIVE: Yorkshire County Cricket Club head coach called former Leeds Utd exec ‘Yid’
Racism crisis at cricket club deepens as former captain and current head coach Andrew Gale found to have tweeted antisemitic hate slur.
Jack Mendel is the former Online Editor at the Jewish News.
The racism crisis engulfing Yorkshire Cricket Club deepened today after it was revealed the club’s head coach called the former head of media at Leeds United a “Yid”.
Jewish News can reveal the antisemitic hate slur was tweeted in November 2010 by then club captain and now current coach, Andrew Gale, to Paul Dews, who was head of media at Leeds United Football Club at the time.
In reply to an unseen tweet from Dews, now head of communications at Middlesbrough Football Club, Gale wrote: “Thought you might pipe up! Button it yid!”.
Gale told Jewish News he was “completely unaware” of the offensive nature of the term at the time he sent the message, which was deleted soon after it was posted. He said: “This post is part of a conversational thread between Paul Dews and myself. Paul worked for Leeds United Football Club at the time and I am an avid Huddersfield Town fan. The reference is to a chant that was prevalent at the time in relation to Leeds fans.
“Within a few minutes of the post, Paul called me and explained the meaning of the word and that it was offensive to Jews. I was completely unaware of this meaning and removed the post immediately. You must have been sent a screenshot of the post that someone took at the time and waited 11 years to release. I would never have used the word had I been aware of its offensive meaning and I have never used it since.”
Yorkshire Cricket Club’s chief executive Mark Arthur told Jewish News: “This kind of behaviour would be completely unacceptable to the club. Now we are aware of it it goes without saying that we will investigate the allegation thoroughly.”
The England and Wales Cricket Board told Jewish News: “We strongly condemn any form of discrimination and have procedures in place to address conduct which is alleged to be of this nature. We will investigate as part of our disciplinary process.”
This latest revelation comes on the day Yorkshire chairman Roger Hutton resigned with immediate effect over the club’s handling of the Azeem Rafiq case. An investigation found Rafiq was a victim of “racial harassment and bullying” – including being called a “P***” by teammate Gary Ballance. However, the club failed to take disciplinary action and dismissed the word “P***” as banter among teammates. The England & Wales Cricket Board said it was “clear” Yorkshire’s handling of the issue was “wholly unacceptable” and caused “serious damage to the reputation of the game”.
The club’s Headingley stadium has been suspended from hosting England matches and key sponsors have cancelled contracts.
Speaking about the Gale tweet, Leeds North West MP Alex Sobel, who is Jewish and has Yorkshire’s home ground, in his constituency, told Jewish News: “As someone who has experienced offensive racist language like this, I certainly do not consider it banter. This is yet another example of casual racism coming from a trusted member within our cricket club. The picture is getting clearer by the day of a serious cultural problem not just at the club, but in cricket more widely. We need root and branch reform in the game.”
Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton, who is also Jewish, told Jewish News: “Language like this is not only problematic but antisemitic and could point to a wider problem of racism at Yorkshire. Sports men and women are role models for so many people so, if this comment is verified, Andrew Gale must do the right thing and apologise immediately.”
Board of Deputies Vice President Amanda Bowman said: “This further revelation that an official at Yorkshire CCC also used racist language about Jews reinforces the fact that the club needs to seriously reconsider its culture and values.”
Paul Dews told Jewish News he did not wish to comment.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
