Can whistleblowing achieve positive results?

Azeem Rafiq, who spoke out against discrimination he suffered while at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, admitted to Arab News he was not familiar with the concept of whistleblowing when he first spoke out. (Reuters/File Photo)
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Updated 15 March 2024
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Can whistleblowing achieve positive results?

  • Azeem Rafiq, who spoke out against discrimination he suffered while at Yorkshire County Cricket Club, admitted to Arab News he was not familiar with the concept of whistleblowing when he first spoke out

LONDON: On Nov. 8, 2021, Lord Patel, then chair of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, issued a statement in which he thanked Azeem Rafiq for “his bravery in speaking out. Azeem is a whistleblower and should be praised as such ... Let me be clear from the outset, racism or discrimination in any form is not banter.”

In conversation with Azeem, he admits to not being familiar with the concept of whistleblowing when he first spoke out. According to UK law, a whistleblower is a worker who exposes illegal, illicit or dangerous activity happening in their workplace. This excludes reporting of personal grievances at work unless exposure is in the public interest. Although Azeem had left Yorkshire when he made his disclosures, it could be argued that they have relevance to the general public.

Historically, the majority of whistleblowing cases appear to have related to the world of politics. Famous examples include Watergate and President Nixon’s authorization of illegal break-ins in 1972, Ralph Nader’s exposure of unsafe practices in the US auto industry in 1965 and Frank Serpico, who publicly reported in 1971 on corruption in the New York Police Department. In the past 50 years, areas of exposure have spread to corporate malpractices, environmental issues, irregular behavior by financial institutions and publication of misleading data.

It is only fairly recently that whistle-blowing cases of bullying, discrimination, sexism and racism have gained greater public traction. More channels of communication have opened up through social media and public hearings, coupled with the provision of legislation by policymakers designed to provide protection for whistleblowers.

In December 2019, the EU Whistleblowing Directive came into force. It was designed to create a minimum standards framework so that member states could establish effective, confidential and secure reporting channels to protect whistleblowers from fear of retaliation. Protection applies only to reports of wrongdoing relating to EU law. Companies with more than 50 employees and public-sector institutions are obliged to set up suitable internal reporting channels. It has taken four years for all but two member states to adopt the minimum standards into national law.

In 2019, the National Whistleblower Center, based in Washington DC, estimated that about 60 countries had dedicated whistleblowing legislation in place. This number will have been swelled by the action of EU member states. There is a large absence of legislation in northern, western and central Africa, Central America, the Gulf and Southeast Asia.

The focus of recent legislation on the need to protect whistleblowers from retaliatory action is designed to create an environment in which potential whistleblowers feel more secure to make disclosures. However, after Azeem Rafiq made his allegations, he was subject to significant retaliatory action from which he received little, if any, protection. This seems to be so because, as a personal grievance, his case sat outside of the relevant UK law relating to whistleblowing. Fear of retribution and the risk of letting down the side may explain why reported examples of whistleblowing in sport are limited.

In 1998, Marc Hodler, a Swiss member of the International Olympic Committee, accused a group of members of the IOC of taking bribes from the committee organizing the bid by Salt Lake City to host the 2002 Winter Games. Ten members of the IOC were suspended and another ten were sanctioned.

In December 2021, Simon Lorimer wrote a formal whistleblower complaint to the chief executive of FINA, the body responsible for administering aquatic sports. He alleged that Zhou Jihong of China manipulated and bullied judges in diving events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Zhou was forced to apologize.

Sport and cricket have not been free of unethical behavior. Scandals relating to match-fixing, corruption, doping, bribery, money-laundering and illegal gambling have all occurred, with proof to match. This is hardly surprising, given the substantial revenue streams involved and the inconsistent governance standards in place. Other scandals have involved sexual harassment, inequality, racism and bullying. On top of this exists a multitude of stakeholders, including national governments, multinational businesses, administrative bodies, individual clubs, gambling businesses, non-profit organizations and the general public.

Within this maelstrom, it can be difficult to see how the integrity of sporting endeavour and competition is to be maintained. Sport is, or should be, values-driven. Ethics, honesty, respect for rules/laws, respect for others, healthy competition, are central. If these are removed, can a sport be worthy of that name? It is incumbent on those who perceive that these values are being sullied to speak out without fear. This should be underpinned with not only legal protection but also the protection of a sporting culture that does not allow or encourage the type of opprobrium that Azeem Rafiq has received from some of his former peers.

One of the outcomes of Azeem’s experience has been the creation of whistleblowing hotlines throughout cricket in England and Wales. Yorkshire County Cricket Club quickly established one in November 2021 when the club’s management changed. Other counties have followed suit. The England and Wales Cricket Board established an independent game-wide system in February 2022. There have been other initiatives regarding, for example, equality, diversity and inclusion, reviews of dressing-room cultures and abusive crowd behavior.

Ultimately, it will be impossible to distinguish between measures introduced directly as a result of Azeem’s disclosures and those that may have happened anyway, but not as quickly. If the legal definition of a whistleblower cannot be applied, then there is another concept which surely does, that of the “disagreeable giver,” a term first used by psychologist, Adam Grant. Such people challenge entrenched behaviors and do not shy away from difficult conversations or controversy, despite personal cost.

However, they are not solely disruptors or critics. Above all, they seek to effect positive change, acting, perhaps unconsciously initially, as catalysts to achieve better structures in place of those that they have found to be wanting. It may be the case that, already, Azeem, without protection, has effected change by virtue of having people in unlikely corners of cricket accept that “it is not banter, it is racism” — and that it is not acceptable.


Manchester United stretch loyalty of ‘numbed’ Chinese fans to the limit

Updated 4 sec ago
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Manchester United stretch loyalty of ‘numbed’ Chinese fans to the limit

  • Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China
  • But like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test
HONG KONG: Yan Gang speaks for many Manchester United fans when he says: “We’ve been numbed by performances over the past few seasons.”
Manchester United once claimed to have more than 100 million followers in China, Yan among them, but like supporters of the club everywhere their loyalty is being put severely to the test.
As an illustration of United’s fall from grace in China and beyond, tickets for Friday’s friendly at the 40,000-capacity Hong Kong Stadium against the city’s representative team were still available on Thursday afternoon.
Tickets also appeared on resale websites with their prices slashed 50 percent.
United were beaten 1-0 in Malaysia by a Southeast Asian XI on Wednesday and booed off, a fresh low in a dismal season for Ruben Amorim’s bedraggled men.
“Every season ends with the same old story with no sign of recovery,” said Yan, a supporter for 23 years and organizer of a United fans’ association in Shenzhen, just across the border from Hong Kong in mainland China.
Amorim’s side left for Asia on Sunday, hours after concluding their worst season since 1974, to play friendlies in Kuala Lumpur and Hong Kong.
The Old Trafford club made no attempt to hide the motivation for flying across the world straight after a draining and demoralizing campaign that saw them come 15th in the Premier League and fail to lift a trophy.
“Tour fixtures drive significant additional revenue which help make the club stronger, allowing us to keep investing in success on the pitch,” chief executive Omar Berrada said.
This week’s Asia visit will generate about $10 million (£7.8m) for United, the BBC reported.
China has the world’s second-biggest economy and second-biggest population, making it a vital market.
United’s finances are under scrutiny with co-owner Jim Ratcliffe implementing steep cuts since buying a minority stake just over a year ago.
The club recently announced a further 200 redundancies were planned after 250 jobs were cut last year.
Ratcliffe claimed in March that the Red Devils would have “run out of money at Christmas” otherwise.
From Kuala Lumpur, where it was 32 Celsius (90 Fahrenheit) at kickoff on Wednesday, it is a four-hour flight to a similarly sticky Hong Kong.
July friendlies in the city between Tottenham and Arsenal, and Liverpool and AC Milan, sold out within hours of going on general sale.
No such luck for United for their exhibition match with the Hong Kong team, and with a day until kickoff they face the ignominy of playing in front of empty seats.
The 39-year-old fan Yan said that the United supporters club in Shenzhen has about 2,000 members.
That number has hardly grown in the past few years, he said.
Older fans make up the vast majority of members.
“I can’t think of any words we can use to attract new fans because the team has a bad record and no standout stars to recruit younger fans,” said Yan.
He Zhiyi, a United fan for more than a decade, is flying to Hong Kong from the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu.
She had hoped to see the squad parade the Europa League trophy, but Amorim’s side lost 1-0 to Tottenham in the final.
With it went United’s hopes of sneaking into the Champions League, which would have brought badly needed revenue, prestige and pulling power.
“The team is all over the place – players, coaches and management are not moving in one direction,” said the 32-year-old He, a football content creator and author.
“It feels like the team is killing the enthusiasm of the fans, as if the romance can’t be sustained anymore.”
Zhang Chongqian, also from Chengdu, said United’s “spirit and traditions” have been lost.
“In recent years, our fans (in China) gradually stopped watching Manchester United or even football,” the 38-year-old lifelong supporter said.
Zhang will not join those fans abandoning his side, even after the poorest season in the club’s recent history.
“Manchester United have been experiencing a period of sinking,” he said.
“But there are still so many fans who will never give up on them.”

Thunder overwhelm Timberwolves to reach NBA Finals

Updated 29 May 2025
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Thunder overwhelm Timberwolves to reach NBA Finals

  • Oklahoma City advances to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012
  • Thunder captured the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series 4-1

WASHINGTON: Oklahoma City, sparked by 34 points from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, advanced to the NBA Finals for the first time since 2012 by routing Minnesota Timberwolves 124-94 on Wednesday.

Gilgeous-Alexander, the NBA Most Valuable Player, added eight assists and seven rebounds as the Thunder captured the best-of-seven Western Conference finals series 4-1 and will host game one of the NBA Finals on June 5.

“This is a step in the right direction but we have a lot more work to do and we know that and that’s what we’re focused on so let’s buckle up and get ready,” said Gilgeous-Alexander.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do to get to our ultimate goal and this is not it. That’s all that I’m focused on.”

Oklahoma City will face the Eastern Conference champion, either the Indiana Pacers or New York Knicks, for the NBA title.

Gilgeous-Alexander, a 26-year-old Canadian who was named the series MVP, could become the first NBA scoring champion since Shaquille O’Neal in 2000 to win an NBA title in the same season.

Chet Holmgren added 22 points and Jalen Williams netted 19 for the Thunder, whose average age of 25.6 years makes them the youngest team in the NBA Finals since Portland in 1977.

“We have 17 dudes on the roster who will bring it every single game whether it’s a closeout game or not,” Holmgren said.

“It’s a step in the journey. We still have a season to play (in the Finals) so we’re not done.”

Williams was proud of the way players have melded into a team.

“We’ve been through ups and downs this entire season and that has only brought us closer. We’ve been able to bond and get better and that’s why we’re here now,” he said.

“We’ve still got a job to do but it’s very exciting.”

Julius Randle led Minnesota with 24 points while Anthony Edwards added 19 for the Timberwolves, who have never reached the NBA Finals.

“They came ready to play. We didn’t,” Edwards said. “They dominated the game from the tip.”

Oklahoma City have never won an NBA title, although the franchise won a crown as the Seattle SuperSonics in 1979 before relocating in 2008, and the Thunder last reached the finals in 2012, losing to Miami.

The Thunder had the best record in the NBA this season at 68-14.

“These guys are uncommon,” Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. “They do everything right. They are professional. They are high character... They are competitive and most of all they are team first.”

From the start Oklahoma City overpowered Minnesota in epic fashion, as the visitors suffered a nightmare performance when it mattered most.

“We kept our foot on the gas for 48 minutes,” Daigneault said. “The tone we set in the game was really good from the jump.”

“We were beat by the better team,” Minnesota coach Chris Finch said. “This hurts.”

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 12 points in the first quarter as the Thunder grabbed a 26-9 lead, holding the Timberwolves to their lowest points total in any quarter all season.

“They came out and punched us,” Minnesota’s Mike Conley said.

Minnesota shot 3-for-20 in the first quarter, 1-of-9 from three-point range, and lost four turnovers.

Minnesota missed 10 of their first 11 shots as Oklahoma City jumped ahead 11-3 then closed the quarter on a 13-2 run.

The Thunder rolled to a 48-20 advantage early in the second quarter on the way to a 65-32 half-time lead as Minnesota surrendered a season-high 14 first-half turnovers while making only 12 baskets.

The Timberwolves trailed by as many as 37 points before reducing the deficit to 88-62 after three quarters, but never looked like overcoming the Thunder’s dominant performance.

“It hurts,” Conley said. “For me it’s going to take a while to dissect what we weren’t able to do.”


Agha and Hasan star in Pakistan’s win over Bangladesh in first T20

Updated 29 May 2025
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Agha and Hasan star in Pakistan’s win over Bangladesh in first T20

  • Agha struck a career-best 56 to guide Pakistan to 201-7
  • Hasan took 5-30 to dismiss tourists for 164 in 19.2 overs

LAHORE: Skipper Salman Agha hit a career best knock and pacer Hasan Ali grabbed his first five wicket haul as Pakistan beat Bangladesh by 37 runs in the first T20 international in Lahore on Wednesday.

Agha struck a career-best 56 to guide Pakistan to 201-7 before Hasan took 5-30 to dismiss the tourists for 164 in 19.2 overs at Qaddafi Stadium.

The win gives the home team a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

Allrounder Shadab Khan, who also struck a quick 48, then dismissed rival skipper Litton Das for a 30-ball 48 to break a fighting 63-run stand for the third wicket that lifted Bangladesh from 37-2.

Litton hit three sixes and a boundary and had steadied the innings with Towhid Hridoy who scored 17, but the later batters could not capitalize on the platform.

Pacer Hasan ended Jaker Ali’s knock of 36 (21 balls with three sixes and a boundary), Tanzim Hasan for one and Shoriful Islam for five to cap a succesful return to international cricket after a year-long injury lay-off.

Hasan said he was happy and satisfied.

“The last eight months were very tough because it was a career-threatening injury, so I am happy to have contributed to the team’s win,” said Hasan, who underwent elbow surgery last year.

“I did hard work during the rehab and it’s a reward for that hard work,” said Hasan.

Bangladesh skipper Litton was unhappy.

“All over the game, we didn’t bowl well, bat well and field well,” said Litton. “We have to come back strongly with two games still to play.”

Earlier, Agha struck a 34-ball 56, with eight fours and a six, while Hasan Nawaz’s 22-ball 44 with four sixes helped Pakistan pass 200 after the hosts won the toss and chose to bat.

The captain, whose previous T20 best of 51 not out came against New Zealand in March, added 48 for the third wicket with Mohammad Haris and 65 for the fourth with Nawaz.

Pakistan were struggling at 5-2 after the loss of openers Saim Ayub, for a duck, and Fakhar Zaman in the first two overs.

Shadab scored a 25-ball 48 to help Pakistan add 58 in the last five overs.

All six Bangladesh bowlers were among the wickets, with left-arm seamer Islam taking 2-32 in three overs.

The remaining two matches are on Friday and Sunday, also in Lahore.


Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes

Updated 29 May 2025
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Defending champion Panthers head back to Stanley Cup Final with 5-3 Game 5 win over Hurricanes

RALEIGH, N.C.: Carter Verhaeghe broke a tie off a feed from Aleksander Barkov with 7:39 left and the defending champion Florida Panthers advanced to their third straight Stanley Cup Final, beating the Carolina Hurricanes 5-3 on Wednesday night in Game 5.
The Panthers beat the Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final for the second time in three seasons. The Panthers will face the winner of the Western final between Dallas and Edmonton, with the Oilers up 3-1 in that best-of-seven series to put them within a win of a rematch with Florida for the Cup.
Sam Bennett added an empty-net goal with 54 seconds left by skating down a loose puck straight out of the penalty box after Florida had held up against a critical late power play for the Hurricanes.
That capped a wild night that saw the Hurricanes jump to a 2-0 lead, then Florida answer with three second-period goals, only to see Carolina’s Seth Jarvis beat Sergei Bobrovsky midway through the third to tie it at 3.
When it was over, the Panthers posed for pictures on Carolina’s home ice during the presentation of the Prince of Wales Trophy for the conference winner. Some Hurricanes fans remained defiant, offering scattered “Let’s go, Oilers!” chants.
The angst is appropriate considering how Florida has now twice ended Carolina’s push to its first Cup Final since winning the franchise’s lone title in 2006 when now-coach Rod Brind’Amour was captain.
Florida had won the first three games of this series but lost 3-0 at home Monday night as the Hurricanes averted a second straight sweep against Florida. But by the final horn Wednesday, the Panthers had won all three games in Raleigh in the series, pushed their road winning streak in these playoffs to five games and earned an eighth postseason road win overall.


A major test: Golfers face new track at 80th US Women’s Open

Updated 29 May 2025
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A major test: Golfers face new track at 80th US Women’s Open

  • The LPGA schedule has reached its summer stretch, when majors dominate the landscape
  • The hottest player of the year is World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who has five top-fives and won her most recent start, the Mizuho Americas Open

ERIN,Wisconsin: When it comes to the USGA’s desire to challenge the best players in the world, the US Women’s Open is no different from the men’s version.

“It’s the biggest test in the game of golf,” world No. 1 Nelly Korda said. “Definitely has tested me a lot. I love it.”

The LPGA schedule has reached its summer stretch, when majors dominate the landscape. This week, a field of 156 (including 26 amateurs) will test themselves at the 80th US Women’s Open at Erin Hills in Erin, Wisconsin

The championship’s winning score has been just 3 or 4 under par in three of the last five editions, and players are planning for another stiff test in Erin Hills’ US Women’s Open debut. The most difficult major is also the most lucrative: It featured a record $12 million in prize money in 2024, a number expected to rise again this week.

Erin Hills is on the lengthier side for the ladies as a par-72, 6,829-yard track. That won’t faze Korda, one of the longest drivers in the women’s game, but she’s got an eye on the various fairway bunkers that threaten to eat up tee shots.

Korda is having a much different start to this season than in 2024, when she won five starts in a row and seven tournaments in total. She’s notched three top-10 finishes but no victories just yet.

“Definitely have had a bit of good and a bit of bad,” she said. “Kind of a mix in kind of every event that I’ve played in. I would say just patience is what I’ve learned and kind of going back home and really locking in and practicing hard.”

With one more week in the top spot of the Rolex Women’s World Golf Rankings, Korda will become the first American woman to spend 100 weeks at No. 1 in her career.

She’s hardly the only player chasing history this week. Lydia Ko of New Zealand is building toward a career Grand Slam after picking up the Women’s British Open last August. She has yet to win the US Women’s Open or Women’s PGA Championship.

“It’s a great golf course. I think it’s fun,” Ko said of Erin Hills. “I don’t think it’s, like, for one type of player, which is something that I tend to really prefer because it kind of brings the whole field into it. Hopefully I can hit some good shots and get a few good lucky bounces and kind of go from there.”

Ko, who captured the HSBC Women’s World Championship in Singapore, is one of 12 different players to win the first 12 events of the LPGA season. Mao Saigo of Japan won the Chevron Championship last month, emerging from a five-woman playoff, a record for a women’s major.

The hottest player of the year is World No. 2 Jeeno Thitikul of Thailand, who has five top-fives and won her most recent start, the Mizuho Americas Open. She’s just 22, but she’s keen on adding her first major to her resume.

“I think to me, (the Women’s PGA), British Open and US Open definitely going to test my patience,” Thitikul said. .”.. Playing in tough conditions, tough course, tough mental, because it’s a big stage playing against all the best players in the world, but patience has always been the key that I want to keep until the final round.”

The defending champion is Japan’s Yuka Saso, who became the youngest two-time winner of the US Women’s Open (also 2021).

“I think the USGA prepares me very, very well for this event with its amateur championships,” the 23-year-old said. “But I think I’m used to it, and I think I really need to come here early and really need to get to know the golf course as much as I can in a short period of time.”