Michael Vaughan dropped from BBC’s radio show over allegations of racism


Michael Vaughan dropped from BBC’s radio show over allegations of racism

Michael Vaughan

The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) has dropped former England captain Michael Vaughan from its radio show. Vaughan has been associated with BBC 5 Live’s ‘The Tuffers and Vaughan Cricket Show’ since 2009 as an expert. But he will not be featuring on the show on Monday due to the suspension which might be extended.

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BBC’s decision to drop Vaughan came after two players levelled allegations of racism against him which dates back to his playing days with Yorkshire. In a statement, the broadcasting giant shared that they took allegations of racism “extremely seriously” and had made the move as the show focuses on topical matters.

The allegation against Michael Vaughan predates 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,” the statement read. “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 Tuffer’s 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 programme. We remain in discussion with Michael and his team.

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What are the allegations against Michael Vaughan?

Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan

An unnamed player, of Asian heritage, was quoted in the Daily Mail to have been victim of incidents of racist abuse that was “both blatant and sly” in the early 2000s. Later, in his Daily Telegraph column, Michael Vaughan revealed that he had been implicated in a report into Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism at the county.

The Ashes-winning Englishman explained that he had been accused of saying to Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naveed before a 2009 game against Nottinghamshire: “[There are] too many of you lot, we need to do something about it.

While Vaughan denied making any such comment, former Pakistan all-rounder Rana Naved-ul-Hasan has come forward to substantiate Rafiq’s allegations. Rana, who was alongside Rafiq at Trent Bridge in 2009, confirmed he would be happy to contribute to any inquiry into the matter.

Michael Vaughan “categorically” denies the allegations

Michael Vaughan
Michael Vaughan

Michael Vaughan shares that the allegations and especially the fact that it dates back over a decade are something he is having trouble processing. While he blatantly denied the allegations in his column, he goes on to suggest that recalling something that was said over a decade earlier “will be fallible”. Yet he is “adamant” about having not uttered any racist slurs at his teammates back then.

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That the allegation came completely out of the blue and more than a decade after it was alleged to have happened made it all the more difficult to process. I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words,” he wrote. “I have been involved in cricket for 30 years and never once been accused of any remotely similar incident or disciplinary offence as a player or commentator.

I have nothing to hide. The ‘you lot’ comment never happened. Anyone trying to recollect words said 10 years ago will be fallible but I am adamant those words were not used. If Rafiq believes something was said at the time to upset him then that is what he believes. It is difficult to comment on that except to say it hurts me hugely to think I potentially affected someone. I take it as the most serious allegation ever put in front of me and I will fight to the end to prove I am not that person.

Now, it all depends on the reports of Yorkshire’s investigation and that of BBC. The reports will decide the fate of Vaughan who claims to have never treaded across the fine line of racism during his playing days. It seems like Michael Vaughan’s suspension from the show might be longer than expected.

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