Vaughan suspended by BBC over Yorkshire racism controversy

Team-mates disagree about truth of Rafiq’s slur allegation Civil war at county following chairman’s angry resignation

Michael Vaughan was suspended from his regular BBC show last night as a row erupted over Azeem Rafiq’s accusation that the former England captain made racially insensitive comments at Yorkshire.

BBC executives said they were temporarily removing him from Radio 5 Live’s Tuffers and Vaughan programme as the story was due to be discussed on Monday’s show.

Conflicting recollections from former team-mates had surfaced within hours of Vaughan revealing in his Daily Telegraph column that he was accused by Rafiq.

Of the claims against Vaughan, a Telegraph Media Group spokesperson said: “We take this matter very seriously and have approached Yorkshire County Cricket Club to request a copy of their report, which we have not yet had sight of.”

Vaughan’s “total” denial that he told Asian players “too many of you lot, we need to do something about it” prompted Rana Naved-ul-hasan, the former Yorkshire all-rounder, to rally behind Rafiq’s version of events. However, a third player alleged to have been present, Ajmal Shahzad, has previously said he has no recollection of Vaughan saying those words relating to a match at Trent Bridge.

Former internationals also came to Vaughan’s defence last night after he had said he was “gobsmacked” to be named in a 100-page report produced by an independent investigation panel, which has still not been released in full.

Meanwhile, on another day of dramatic fallout from the wider racism scandal engulfing Yorkshire:

Lord Patel of Bradford was appointed interim chairman of Yorkshire after Roger Hutton quit, claiming he had experienced “a culture that refuses to accept change” at the club.

Director of cricket Martyn Moxon and chief executive Mark Arthur refused to quit.

It emerged head coach Andrew Gale is facing an investigation for anti-semitism, having been accused of telling a Leeds United press officer in a tweet to “Button it y--”.

Vaughan yesterday stood by his “complete and categorical” denial after Naved-ul-hasan, then the club’s overseas player, said he was prepared to provide evidence to any inquiry supporting Rafiq’s claims.

He said that he was standing alongside Rafiq at Trent Bridge at the moment it happened. “I want to just say that the statement Mr Vaughan gave today is very wrong because I’m a witness for that story,”

he told ITV News from Pakistan. However, speaking in April, Shahzad – the first British-born Asian to play for Yorkshire – had denied Rafiq’s previous claims that “there was me, Adil Rashid, Ajmal Shahzad and Rana Naved-ul-hasan” within earshot of Vaughan. “No, the senior guys were really good to me,” Shahzad had told The Yorkshire Post. “They took me under their wing. I’ve only got good things to say about those people because they looked after me and nurtured me.”

The alleged comment was said by Rafiq to have taken place in 2009 when Vaughan was still a player. A host of former England team-mates, including Monty Panesar, expressed shock that he had been caught up in the row.

“My experiences of him when I was playing for England, he helped me so much with my game, he believed in my ability, he encouraged me to celebrate the way I used to celebrate,” Panesar said.

“He’s helped so many people from different backgrounds, different races, different cultures. Because he wants the best players playing and wants the best for England when he was captain. I don’t believe he’s a racist but if Azeem Rafiq believes that then provide the

evidence. You can’t just accuse anyone without evidence.”

Vaughan’s Radio 5 co-host Tufnell added: “He’s always been a top guy and I’ve worked alongside him for years. I’ve never heard him say any racist comments or words, so all I can do is take as I find.”

Corporation executives acknowledged Vaughan’s denial, but said he would be removed from the Tuffers and Vaughan programme on Monday to ensure impartiality while the furore continues. “The show focuses on topical discussion around current cricketing matters and given his personal involvement, we need to ensure we maintain the impartiality,” a spokeswoman said. “We remain in discussion with Michael and his team.”

The BBC added that it “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,” a statement added. “However, we were made aware of a single allegation which Michael strongly denies and we have been monitoring the situation.”

Tufnell said he had not been told yet whether anyone would stand in for Vaughan on Monday but that he was looking forward to welcoming him back. “Obviously, it’ll be a shame that Michael won’t be appearing on the Tuffers and

Vaughan Show on Monday,” Tufnell said. “It’s the BBC’S decision, isn’t it? It’s not mine.”

Speaking at his home in Knutsford, Cheshire, Vaughan, the 2005 Ashes-winning captain, told the PA news agency yesterday: “We’re in different times. I’ve done my piece last night and I stand by what I say. I’ve never said anything racist in my life. I know that in my life, I’ve never said anything racist to anybody. So, that’s what I stand by.”