Essex fined £100,000 after admitting racism charges

WARNING: This nonfiction contains descriptions of racism and different violative and discriminatory connection and behaviour.

Essex person been fined £100,000 aft admitting charges relating to the "systemic" usage of racist connection oregon behaviour astatine the nine betwixt 2001 and 2010.

The nine were charged by the Cricket Regulator successful June, having been alleged to person brought the crippled into "disrepute".

It came aft a fig of erstwhile players made allegations successful 2021, prompting a study to beryllium ordered by Essex which recovered "a fig of erstwhile players were victims of "racist maltreatment and discriminatory treatment".

Essex admitted the complaint connected 10 June.

They person present been fined £100,000, £50,000 of which is suspended for 2 years, and warned astir their aboriginal behaviour by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC).

In its reasons for the sanctions the CDC sheet said the "systemic usage of racist and discriminatory connection suggests a civilization that was embedded crossed the club".

It added: "Such connection oregon behaviour was utilized regularly, openly and seemingly without fearfulness of criticism.

"No 1 astatine immoderate level wrong the nine sought to situation oregon halt its use.

"It is plain that the occupation was a systemic one, and is indicative of superior absorption failures towards the attraction of a fig of ECCC's taste number players."

Essex are the 2nd region cricket nine successful England to beryllium punished pursuing racism allegations successful the past 2 years.

Yorkshire were docked 48 points successful the County Championship, 4 successful the T20 Blast and fined £400,000 - £300,000 of which was suspended - for their handling of the Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.

Because Essex's charges were, dissimilar Yorkshire's, each related to allegations anterior to 2020 the sheet did not person the powerfulness to enforce points deductions.

In effect to the sanctions Essex seat Anu Mohindru said "there is heavy regret for what occurred successful the past, but these events bash not bespeak the Essex of today".

"We stay afloat committed to moving towards affirmative and lasting change," added Mohindru, who became seat successful October 2023.

"This is simply a work we instrumentality seriously, and we volition proceed to prosecute with each those affected, our assemblage and stakeholders to guarantee that the advancement already made successful caller years is upheld and further strengthened."

Interim manager of the Cricket Regulator Dave Lewis described the racism experienced astatine Essex arsenic "abhorrent" and said the grounds was "deeply disturbing".

"I anticipation that this prosecution volition assistance guarantee that nary 1 suffers again arsenic they did, and that racism of this benignant is ne'er normalised," helium said.

"The CDC sheet took into relationship the information that Essex had pleaded blameworthy to the complaint and has already taken important enactment to code these issues and go a much inclusive club."

England and Wales Cricket Board main enforcement Richard Gould welcomed "the enactment Essex has taken successful caller years to code these issues".

Gould said the ECB volition "shortly update" connected the advancement made successful the action program acceptable out pursuing the Independent Commission for Equity successful Cricket (ICEC) study past year, which recovered discrimination was "widespread" successful cricket successful England and Wales.

Essex began an probe successful 2021 pursuing respective allegations, including complaints by erstwhile players Jahid Ahmed, Maurice Chambers and Zoheb Sharif.

They spoke retired pursuing the racism ungraded astatine Yorkshire.

Essex commissioned their ain enquiry into the issues, culminating successful a study by Katharine Newton KC, published successful December, which concluded that a fig of the club's erstwhile players were victims of racist maltreatment and discriminatory treatment.

Afterwards a committee was acceptable up astatine Essex to see imaginable sanctions against individuals arsenic a effect of the report.

Among different things the study recovered a subordinate was referred to arsenic "bomber" by immoderate team-mates pursuing the 9/11 attacks connected the United States and different subordinate was offered bananas by a team-mate successful a "manner that was unequivocally racist".

The probe besides recovered a erstwhile president utilized racist connection during a 2017 committee meeting.

Essex were fined £50,000 by the ECB successful 2022 aft admitting 2 charges relating to that gathering - but though John Faragher, who is besides not named successful the report, resigned arsenic president the erstwhile year, helium denied utilizing racist language.

In June chief enforcement John Stephenson said Essex volition ne'er publically name erstwhile players and unit members allegedly progressive successful racist behaviour.