BBC removes Michael Vaughan from Ashes coverage amidst racism allegations
The British Broadcasting Company (BBC) has dropped former England captain Michael Vaughan from their commentary panel for the Ashes 2021-2022 coverage after being named in the Yorkshire racism report. Vaughan has been accused by Azeem Rafiq of making racist remarks during a Yorkshire game in 2009.
Micahel Vaughan’s racist comments on Asian players in the Yorkshire side during an incident in 2009 were brought out by Azeem Rafiq in a detailed allegation report. Pointing to a group of four players during a match at Trent Bridge, the former England captain had allegedly said, "There are too many of you lot; we need to do something about it". However, Vaughan denied having said anything of the sort, and in a statement to the PA new agency, the 47-year-old reckoned that his reputation has been “trashed unfairly,” calling it “the worst thing I have ever experienced.”
Rafiq’s allegations of Vaughan passing the racial comments have been backed by former Pakistan fast bowler Rana Naved-Ul-Hasan and England leg-spinner Adil Rashid. Earlier this month, the BBC dropped 'Tuffers and Vaughan', a radio show that Vaughan co-hosts with another former English cricketer Phil Tufnell.
On Wednesday, BCC released a statement saying that it would not be appropriate for Vaughan to have a role in their coverage team of the upcoming Ashes series.
"While he is involved in a significant story in cricket, for editorial reasons we do not believe that it would be appropriate for Michael Vaughan to have a role in our Ashes team or wider coverage of the sport at the moment," the BBC statement said.
"We require our contributors to talk about relevant topics and his involvement in the Yorkshire story represents a conflict of interest."
However, Vaughan can be still be heard in the UK as he has a contract with Fox Cricket in Australia.