Former England captain Michael Vaughan has responded to racist claims leveled against him by Azeem Rafiq, a former Yorkshire cricketer. Vaughan has stated that the charges are false, claiming that reading them stunned him.
Before speaking to an independent panel appointed by Yorkshire to investigate Rafiq’s claims. Vaughan maintained he didn’t see the accusations coming. Despite empathizing with Rafiq’s situation, the 46-year-old denied racial prejudice on his part.
“This hit me very hard. It is like being struck over the head with a brick. I involve in cricket for 30 years and never once been accuse of any remotely similar incident. Disciplinary offence as a player or commentator. That the allegation came completely out of the blue and more than a decade. After it was allege to have happened made it all the more difficult to process. he said
Michael Vaughan
“I completely and categorically deny that I ever said those words. I responded to the panel by saying I was gobsmacked and that my professional legal advice that I could not appear before a panel having had just a few hours’ notice of such serious claims made against me,” Vaughan wrote
“It was 11 years after the alleged event. Nothing at all raised or said at the time of the game in question. It not mentioned at the time or at any stage over the next 11 years until the night before I was asked to speak to the inquiry. he said
“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,” he added.
Yorkshire barred from hosting international matches indefinitely due to the continuing inquiry. After an investigation report indicated that he used harsh and insulting language for Rafiq, the board has also barred former England Test cricketer Gary Ballance from selection. Ballance admitted to calling his former Yorkshire teammate a racial term.
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