Yorkshire: Club suspend coach Andrew Gale for tweet he sent in 2010

Yorkshire head coach Andrew Gale has been suspended as part of an investigation into a tweet he sent in 2010.

The Jewish News reported Gale, then club captain, sent a now-deleted tweet containing an anti-Semitic slur to former Leeds United head of media Paul Dews.

In a statement, the club said Gale, 37, is “currently suspended pending a disciplinary hearing” and “will make a further statement once this process has been completed”.

Gale told Jewish News he was “completely unaware” of the offensive nature of the term and deleted the tweet as soon as he was made aware.

He made 156 first-class appearances for the club before giving up the club captaincy and ended his playing career at the age of 32 in order to take up the coaching role.

The club has also confirmed Martyn Moxon, their director of cricket, is absent from work because of a “stress-related illness” and “will be given the necessary support”.

It is the latest development in a string of racism allegations concerning the club.

Earlier on Tuesday, the UK government said it is ready to “step in” if Yorkshire and the England and Wales Cricket Board do not take “real action” following the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.

A report found former Yorkshire player Rafiq was a victim of “racial harassment and bullying” but the county said it would not discipline anyone.

Rafiq detailed his experiences at Yorkshire, which left him close to taking his own life, for the first time in September 2020.

In September 2021, a year after the former player went public with his allegations, Yorkshire released its own summary findings of the report and subsequently said no-one would be disciplined.

But the investigation was widely criticised after it reportedly found a racist term about Rafiq’s Pakistani heritage was regularly used towards him while at the club and concluded it was “friendly and good-natured banter”.

Chairman Roger Hutton resigned last Friday, and on Monday, Lord Patel took over, apologising to Rafiq and praising his “bravery” as a whistleblower.

Also on Monday, ex academy player Irfan Amjad said he was racially abused by a member of staff as a 16-year-old, while Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has also alleged racism at Yorkshire, saying “saying “systematic taunting” occurred at the club.

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