John Yems: Anger over calling manager 'not conscious racist'

A determination to picture comments by a shot manager arsenic "not conscious racism" beggars belief, a achromatic ex-premier league footballer has said.

An autarkic sheet recovered ex-Crawley Town brag John Yems blameworthy of racist maltreatment towards his players and banned him from shot for 15 months.

But ex-footballer Clarke Carlisle, of anti-racism foundation Kick It Out, said the panel's findings were incredulous.

Yems said helium was owed an apology for maltreatment helium has since suffered.

The FA is looking astatine legally challenging the findings of its panel.

It said the lawsuit involving "racist bullying implicit a important period" was "extremely serious" and it "fundamentally" disagreed that this was not a lawsuit of conscious racism.

The sheet was made up of barrister Robert Englehart KC, erstwhile Sheffield United striker Tony Agana and Wolverhampton Wanderers nine caput Matt Wild, who were appointed by the FA, on with others, to beryllium connected specified panels.

In its report published connected Tuesday, the sheet recovered Yems utilized a radical slur to picture immoderate of the club's achromatic players, deliberately mispronounced a sanction to marque it dependable similar a racially violative word and joked that a Muslim subordinate was a terrorist.

It went connected to authorities how, successful his defence, Yems "categorically denied that helium was successful immoderate mode racist".

And the sheet concluded: "We respect this arsenic an highly superior case. We person accepted that Mr Yems is not a conscious racist."

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Carlisle, who played for Watford, Queens Park Rangers and Burnley, accused the sheet of incompetence.

"The magnitude of contradictions that are wrong the study itself wholly undermine immoderate assurance successful the processes that are going connected astatine the FA," said Carlisle, who sits connected the players' committee of anti-discrimination shot group, Kick It Out.

"The information they are astatine pains from the outset to authorities that they're assured Mr Yems was not a racist - this was not the clip oregon spot to marque that distinction. They were accidental to beryllium making judgements connected actions helium made.

"But past to accidental successful the adjacent paragraph they cull categorically that immoderate witnesser was lying and past they said determination is simply a sizeable value of grounds that Mr Yems was successful the wont of making these jokes implicit a three-year period.

"It conscionable beggars content that they tin propulsion that conception - the enactment of idiosyncratic is not racist erstwhile it's not their telephone to make."

The ex-defender claimed the concern highlighted the request for an autarkic shot regulator.

"Football regulates itself. It investigates itself... and it means that existent justness is not sought successful situations similar this," helium added.

The sheet recovered Yems blameworthy of 11 charges relating to racist maltreatment betwixt 2019 and 2022. He admitted 1 charge.

The 63-year-old has present been banned from all-football related enactment until June 2024. His lawyer told the sheet his lawsuit accepted the prohibition and was remorseful.

His attempts astatine jocularity had been thoughtless and misguided but not malevolent, his lawyer said, successful a submission to the panel.

On Thursday, successful an interrogation with TalkSport, Yems said helium was not recovered to beryllium racist and had ne'er utilized racist connection with intent.

"The happening that I've done incorrect has been highlighted to maine and it's shown maine present that determination are definite things that you can't accidental and do," helium said.

"But to me, it's the intent of what things were said. I haven't purposely gone retired determination individually to accidental to idiosyncratic 'XYZ' purely connected the colour of skin."

Asked if helium wanted to apologise to anyone, Yems said "If anybody needs an apology I deliberation I do, the maltreatment and everything that I've been getting."

The FA, which indicated it pushed for a two-year suspension, argued it "fundamentally disagreed" with the panel's findings.

"Based connected the grounds presented to the commission, we fundamentally disagree with the autarkic panel's uncovering that this was not a lawsuit of conscious racism," it said successful a statement.

The allegations archetypal came to airy aft a fig of players from the League Two nine took grievances to the Professional Footballers' Association.

Yems had been successful complaint astatine Crawley since December 2019. He was suspended by the nine connected 23 April 2022 amid "serious and credible accusations" that helium utilized discriminatory connection and behaviour towards his players.

He parted institution with the nine 13 days later, 2 days aft the FA announced it was investigating the allegations against him.