English cricket won’t be regulated by the government despite racism findings

The ECB are set to escape the threat of outside regulation despite the damning conclusions of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket, which condemned the sport as inherently racist and sexist. 

Mail Sport has learned that there is no appetite in government to get involved in regulating cricket in stark contrast to their attitude to football, which following a Fan-Led review chaired by Tracey Crouch MP will be answerable to an independent regulator from next year.

The government’s reluctance to consider statutory regulation will come as a setback to the Commission, who have called for the ECB to be stripped of regulatory powers as one of 44 recommendations for change. 

Azeem Rafiq said that establishing an independent regulator was the most important of the Commission’s 44 recommendations. 

The Commission strongly criticised the governing body and recommended that an independent regulatory unit should be established urgently to separate out the functions of the ECB, which is both the promoter and regulator of the game.

There is no desire within government to create an independent regulator for cricket – as with football – despite the findings of a new report into racism and sexism within the sport 

Azeem Rafiq hailed the courage of those who had contributed to a new report laying bare the problems of discrimination facing cricket

ECB chairman Richard Thompson has issued an apology following the publication of the report

The ECB issued an unreserved apology to those who have suffered from discrimination on Tuesday, but despite being criticised by the Commission for ‘marking their own homework’ will be permitted to address the situation without external interference. 

Mail Sport has been told that the government will not act due to a shortage of parliamentary time before the next election and a distinction between the cultural issues affecting cricket and financial problems afflicting football.

The impetus behind the creation of a football regulator was concern that lower division clubs were not financially sustainable following the collapse of Bury in 2019, while Crouch’s review also made a series of recommendations to give more rights to fans. 

Another explanation offered by some stakeholders is the view that there are fewer votes to be gained from government intervention in cricket than in football.

In another boost for the ECB they are set to keep the £2.25million of government funding they receive each year despite the criticisms of the sport’s lack of diversity. 

Tracey Crouch MP chaired a fan-led review into football governance, leading to the creation of an independent regulator for the game 

Sport England, who administer the funding, had threatened to reduce the ECB’s money in the aftermath of the Rafiq furore, but there is an acknowledgement within government that such a move would damage programmes that have already been put in place to widen access to cricket for disadvantaged groups.

The ECB are likely to welcome the opportunity to put their own house in order and have given themselves three months to respond in detail to the Commission’s recommendations. The ECB declined to comment.