Michael Vaughan confessed that he was one of the players implicated in the report into Azeem Rafiq charges of institutional racism at Yorkshire
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has disclosed that former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq has accused him of racist behaviour, which he “completely and categorically” refuted while vowing to “fight” to clear his name.
Azeem Rafiq Report: Cricketer Accuses Gary Ballance And Michael Vaughan Of Racism
Vaughan revealed that he was the former player implicated in the investigation into Rafiq’s charges of systemic racism at Yorkshire in a column for the ‘Daily Telegraph.’
Vaughan, who played for Yorkshire from 1991 to 2009, told a group of Asian players, including Rafiq, “Too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” according to Yorkshire’s Azeem Rafiq account. The alleged incident occurred during a match between Yorkshire and Nottinghamshire in 2009, Rafiq’s first season as a professional.
While denying these allegations, Vaughan wrote in a column that these allegations made by Rafiq were completely baseless, and he never said those words, besides that, he will fight till the very end to prove that the ‘you lot’ comment never happened.
Michael Vaughan Denies Any Claims Of Wrongdoing
Vaughan continued by saying that if there is anyone who is trying to remember something that was said 10 years ago, they are bound to make mistakes about it. He also added that he is ‘adamant’ that those words were never spoken. He further added that if Rafiq believes something was said at the time to irritate him, he has the right to believe it.
The captain of the 2005 Ashes-winning team stated that he would battle to the end to prove his innocence.
In December 2020, 11 years after the alleged event, Vaughan was approached by the panel that was given the charge of investigating Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism at the club.
“I responded to the panel by saying I was gobsmacked. It was 11 years after the alleged event.
“This hit me very hard. It was like being struck over the head with a brick. 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,” Vaughan said.
ECB’s actions after the allegations by Azeem Rafiq in the report
Yorkshire County Cricket Club was banned from hosting international matches by the England and Wales Cricket Board on Thursday for failing to act on former player Azeem Rafiq’s racial abuse allegations, which were proven true in an independent probe, calling the club’s stance “abhorrent.”
The judgement came a day after Yorkshire player Gary Ballance admitted to using a racial term towards his former teammate Rafiq.
Ballance has been barred from representing England for an indeterminate period by the ECB. Ballance has admitted to being to blame for some of the rude and disparaging comments Rafiq said he was subjected to while playing for the county in northern England.
Yorkshire had handled the racism issue “terribly,” according to Vaughan, and the club will be honest enough to accept it.
Vaughan admitted that between 1991 and 2009, he played professional cricket for 18 years. All of the players from that time period are now looking back on what they said and admitting that they would not say it now.
He added that he never heard any racist slurs, but Yorkshire was a tough place to work in. They had to knock on the dressing room door as a second team member before entering. If you had a large nose, were bald, or were overweight, you would be teased.
Rafiq, a former England under-19 captain, stated in interviews last year that he was made to feel like an “outsider” as a Muslim during his time at Yorkshire from 2008-18 and that he was on the verge of committing suicide.
Rafiq filed 43 accusations throughout his time at Yorkshire. Seven of which were upheld by an independent panel, which stated that he was subjected to “no doubt” racial harassment and bullying.
Recommended: The Sports Fan App