Michael Vaughan taken off air by BBC in race row

Michael Vaughan has been withdrawn from his BBC radio show after a second claim the former England cricket captain made a racist comment in 2009.

England’s then captain Michael Vaughan tossed a ball during a Test against the West Indies at Old Trafford in 2007. Picture: AFP

Michael Vaughan has been withdrawn from his BBC 5 Live radio show after a second Asian cricketer said that he heard the former England captain make a racist comment while playing for Yorkshire in 2009.

On Friday Vaughan said that he is named in the 100-page report on claims of institutional racism at the county after allegations by Azeem Rafiq, 30, who had spells at Yorkshire from 2008 to 2014 and 2016 to 2018.

Vaughan said that he was “gobsmacked” he was in the report and denied the allegations, relating to a match at Trent Bridge.

Michael Vaughan at the Boxing Day Test match between Australia and New Zealand at the MCG in Melbourne in 2019. Picture: AAP

Nevertheless, the BBC have made the “editorial” decision to remove Vaughan from The Tuffers and Vaughan Cricket Show, on a Monday.

Roger Hutton, the Yorkshire chairman, resigned on Friday over the club’s handling of the racism allegations against it. On Thursday the ECB condemned the response of the county and suspended it from hosting international matches at Headingley.

Azeem Rafiq of Yorkshire takes a catch during a Champions League T20 match in Durban in 2012. Picture: AFP

Hutton told the BBC: “I never personally met anyone at Yorkshire in the 18 months I was there who I would consider a racist. I have seen a culture that finds it difficult to accept challenge and change.”

He also said: “I’m sorry [Rafiq] didn’t have his allegations investigated in 2018. I’m sorry that it has taken so long. I’m sorry that ultimately the club has not shown the right contrition in relation to the findings and hasn’t found a way to move forward. So, an unreserved and profuse apology to Azeem.”

An anti-racism banner hangs on railings outside Headingley, the home of Yorkshire cricket, on Friday. Picture: AFP

Writing in The Daily Telegraph, Vaughan said that he had been asked to speak to the independent panel in December regarding an allegation from Rafiq that in 2009 he had said to the spin bowler and two other Asian players as they walked on to the field of play: “There are too many of you lot, we need to do something about it.”

He wrote: “I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words. I responded to the panel by saying that I was gobsmacked and that my professional legal advice was that I could not appear before a panel having had just a few hours’ notice of such serious claims made against me. Nothing at all was raised or said at the time of the game in question. It was not mentioned over the next 11 years until the night before I was asked to speak to the inquiry.”

On Friday morning ESPNCricinfo reported that Rana Naved-ul-Hasan, who was the club’s overseas player, confirmed that he heard Vaughan make the comments.

Rana Naved-ul-Hasan n 2010, playing for the Hobart Hurricanes in the Twenty20 Big Bash. Picture: Daniel Wilkins

After an emergency meeting, BBC Sport bosses decided to take Vaughan off the air while they continue talks with him and his representatives.

In a statement it said: “The BBC takes any allegations of racism extremely seriously. The allegation against Michael Vaughan pre-dates his time working for the BBC, we were not part of the investigation conducted by Yorkshire County Cricket Club and we have had no access to the subsequent report. However, we were made aware of a single allegation which Michael strongly denies and we have been monitoring the situation closely.

“We have made the editorial decision that Michael won’t appear as a presenter on 5 Live’s Tuffers and Vaughan Show on Monday. The show focuses on topical discussion around current cricketing matters and given his personal involvement, we need to ensure we maintain the impartiality of the program.”

The Times