Azeem Rafiq calls for the BBC to take action against Michael Vaughan

Daniel Brown

Rafiq gave a powerful witness statement in front of the DCMS select committee on Tuesday

Azeem Rafiq has called on the BBC to take action against former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan, as per The Times.

Rafiq gave a witness statement as part of his employment tribunal against Yorkshire, which was published on Tuesday after he spoke to the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) select committee.

The former Yorkshire bowler was speaking about his experiences of racism during his two spells at the club.

The 30-year-old Rafiq has alleged that Vaughan made a racist remark to him and three other Asian players before a game for Yorkshire in 2009, claiming that Vaughan said there were “too many of you lot.”

Vaughan has twice denied making the remarks, but Rafiq has been backed by two of the other Asian players – England bowler Adil Rashid and former Pakistan bowler Rana Naved-ul-Hasan.

Speaking to BBC sports editor Dan Roan on Wednesday, Rafiq was asked what repercussions Vaughan and others involved should now face.

Rafiq stated that the people who have apologised deserve a “second chance”, but did say that it was now down to Vaughan’s employers to “send a message.”

“With people in denial there’s got to be a level of accountability there and it’s for their employers to send out a message — are they going to give a green light to racism or are they going to stamp it out?” he said.

“I’m disappointed in a lot of people’s denials. It may not mean a lot to them — I can live with that. But to try and completely deny it and make out that it’s all made up in my head is hurtful.”

"The treatment I received from some of the club officials was inhuman."

Azeem Rafiq recalls his horrific experiences of racism at Yorkshire CCC pic.twitter.com/KLmIYjKQbR

— JOE (@JOE_co_uk) November 16, 2021

According to The Times, Vaughan’s future remains under review, with the BBC holding discussing’s regarding the matter.

Following the original allegations against Vaughan, the BBC dropped the former England captain from the ‘Tuffers and Vaughan Show’, which is hosted on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The decision followed news that a second Asian cricketer – Naved-ul-Hasan – said he had also heard Vaughan make a racist comment while he was playing for Yorkshire 12 years ago.

A BBC statement read: “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.”

The 47-year-old Vaughan – who is thought to be ‘deeply unhappy’ with the BBC’s current stance – first responded to the allegations made against him in a column in The Daily Telegraph, where he wrote: “I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words.”

In his newspaper column, he revealed that, during the summer, he had informed “colleagues at the BBC that these allegations had been made against me”.

Following Rafiq’s emotional testimony in Westminster and the interview(s) that followed, the BBC’s relationship with Vaughan is thought to be under even more scrutiny.