John Faragher, who resigned after a board meeting Thursday, strongly denies the incident; CEO John Stephenson says Essex “will review why it was not fully and independently investigated at that time”
Essex President John Faragher resigned with immediate effect following a landmark allegation that he used racist language at a board meeting in 2017.
Faragher, who resigned after a board meeting Thursday, strongly denies the incident.
Essex says they will “review why it was not fully and independently investigated at that time.”
“There is no room for discrimination of any kind at the Essex County Cricket Club,” said Executive Director John Stephenson.
“This is a proud club with a zero tolerance policy towards racism and any form of discrimination and, as the new CEO of Essex Cricket, I will not hesitate to uphold those principles and eliminate any form of discrimination that is discovered.”
Stephenson took over the daily running of the county championship club in October and revealed that he first learned of the alleged incident involving Faragher this week.
“The board met last night [Thursday] during which John Faragher’s resignation was unanimously accepted by the board, “he added.
Stephenson said the club has committed to working with the England & Wales Cricket Board “to eradicate discrimination in the game.”
“This is an important first step, but the club now has to act more,” Stephenson said. “Our internal reporting mechanisms will be reviewed to ensure that matters like this are dealt with promptly and appropriately.
“I intend for those next actions to be communicated as soon as possible.”
On Thursday, Yorkshire CEO Mark Arthur became the latest senior figure to leave following the racism scandal at the club.
A report found that his former player Azeem Rafiq was the victim of “racial harassment and intimidation” in Yorkshire, but the club said it would not discipline anyone.
England Test captain Joe Root has said the case on his county side has “fractured our game and shattered lives.”
