Warwickshire CCC and Edgbaston Stadium response to racism investigation.
Updated 12.10pm – Tuesday 5 July
Stuart Cain, Chief Executive at Edgbaston, said: “Any form of abuse isn’t acceptable in life or sport. So, I’m angry about the fact that people think it’s acceptable at an international cricket event and apologise for the distress it’s caused.
“I have spoken to those who raised the issue on social media, the stewards managing the Eric Hollies Stand and the police. There has been a great atmosphere over five days involving more than 100,000 England and India fans but when this issue was reported to the stewards, they couldn’t pinpoint where the alleged abuse was coming from so stewards and the police monitored the area until close of play.
“However, we actively support police action in alleged cases of abuse and have provided them with CCTV imagery and further information which has led to them launching a criminal investigation and they are asking people to call 101 and quote reference 20-613293-22 if they have further information.
“If the police investigations lead to prosecution, then we will ban those involved from Edgbaston and the ECB will also ban them from all other cricket venues nationwide.
“We have to work harder to stop abuse at its source. So, we urge fans to download the Edgbaston app which allows people to anonymously report abuse directly to the Control Room so that the stewards and police can take immediate action. There was a separate incident reported via the app yesterday, which was dealt with in less than ten minutes and led to the ejection of three fans.
“For Saturday’s Vitality IT20 versus India we will be writing to all fans to remind them of our zero tolerance approach to abuse and also increasing awareness of the app through wristbands, seat stickers, messages on hi-vis jackets and increased speaker and screen messages.
“Everybody should feel safe and welcome at Edgbaston, and we will continue to work hard to deliver this expectation.”
If you’ve experienced or witnessed any discrimination, find out how to report it on our Spectator Code of Conduct page.
