The form of Michael Vaughan’s ‘life and livelihood’ is at stake on the Yorkshire racism listening to, his lawyer stated on Tuesday.
Former England captain Vaughan is accused by the England and Wales Cricket Board of constructing a racist remark to Azeem Rafiq and three different Yorkshire gamers earlier than a match in 2009.
Because the costs had been laid, Vaughan has misplaced her pundit roles on tv and revealed on the listening to in London that her well being and well-being had suffered.
Christopher Stoner, KC, instructed the Cricket Self-discipline Fee in London: “That is clearly a matter of great significance to my consumer. The form of his life and his livelihood are at stake.
“We’re simply saying the proof just isn’t the cost.”
Vaughan reportedly instructed Rafiq, Adil Rashid, Rana Naved-ul-Hasan and Ajmal Shahzad: “There are too lots of you, we have to discuss it.”
Stoner accused the ECB of backtracking resulting from a discrepancy over the second half of the commentary, as Rafiq additionally recalled: “We have to do one thing about it.”
ECB lawyer Jane Mulcahy, KC, admitted: “It is a bit messy, I see that.”
However she reiterated that the important thing phrases “you numerous” are what the self-discipline panel ought to concentrate on.
Vaughan, who attended Friday’s listening to, maintains he has no recollection of constructing the remark, and his lawyer cited what he known as “fragilities of human reminiscence” of an incident which occurred practically 14 years in the past.
“Mr. Rafiq says he has a transparent recollection, however not actual phrases,” Stoner stated.
“He stated it made him sick and offended, however he did not discuss it for 11 years.
“We’re saying it is inherently unlikely that he did not inform anybody.”
Stoner additionally criticized what he known as a “completely insufficient” investigation by the ECB, together with its failure to contact different gamers concerned within the recreation, the referees or a Sky cameraman whose footage fashioned a part of the proof.
“Due course of is vital and in our view it has been despatched on trip by the ECB,” he added.
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Vaughan’s lawyer says the racism allegations made towards the previous England captain by Azeem Rafiq had been ‘phrase for phrase’
Vaughan’s 32-page closing written submission, together with a 22-page storyboard of Sky footage, stated: “As this listening to involves an finish, now some 5,006 days after the phrases had been stated to have been spoken, the burden to show that the phrases had been stated, which is so clearly on the ECB, merely has not been discharged.
“The general reliability, sufficiency and weight of the proof, within the context of what’s a really severe matter, are such that it’s merely not potential for the panel to find out that it’s extra probably that unbelievable that the alleged remarks had been made by Mr. Vaughan.”
Stoner stated it was “intrinsically unlikely” that Vaughan made such a remark inside earshot of a cameraman with a microphone, “when he knew it was being broadcast to the general public”.
Earlier, ECB lawyer Mulcahy had claimed it was “intrinsically possible” that Vaughan made the remark.
She stated the truth that Vaughan shook fingers with “solely Asian gamers” was telling.
“This motion clearly signifies that he identifies the 4 cricketers as a definite group, in step with the phrases ‘you lot’,” she stated.
The ECB’s ultimate conclusion learn: “Michael Vaughan can not refute the phrases as a result of he doesn’t recall saying them. As a substitute, he claims he wouldn’t have stated these phrases.”
The alleged remark, the ECB stated, was solely made a 12 months earlier than Vaughan despatched tweets which the 48-year-old later acknowledged as “utterly unacceptable”.
“These tweets had been seemingly mild however in actuality had been offensive as he additionally accepted,” the submission added.
“His remark to the gamers on June 22, 2009 was in the identical vein.”
Rafiq first made public allegations of racism in Yorkshire in 2020
Mulcahy concluded: “The CDC ought to discover that Michael Vaughan uttered the alleged phrases; that the phrases had been racist and/or discriminatory, and that the phrases could also be dangerous to the pursuits of cricket or might convey Michael Vaughan or the sport of cricket into disrepute.
“That being the case, Michael Vaughan breached guideline 3.3.”
The instances of former Yorkshire head coach Andrew Gale and former bowling coach Richard Pyrah – who, together with Matthew Hoggard, Tim Bresnan and John Blain, didn’t attend the listening to to defend themselves – have additionally been heard. Each deny having used racist and/or discriminatory language.
A seventh participant, Gary Ballance, admitted one cost whereas Yorkshire admitted 4 costs, together with one which he ‘failed to deal with the systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language over a interval extended”.
The listening to is scheduled to proceed behind closed doorways Wednesday and Thursday.
CDC Chairman Tim O’Gorman concluded the general public portion of the proceedings by saying, “These are judgments that require cautious consideration. These are rulings that might be in writing, and we hope to have them by now. the tip of the month.
“Nevertheless, I hope you perceive that the panel has appreciable skilled commitments.”
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