Following a prior allegation of racist remarks, John Faragher, the Chairman of English County Cricket Club Essex has resigned. The claims against John Faragher, who stepped down on Thursday, pertain to a board meeting in 2017, but the club is investigating why the issue was not properly and independently probed at the time. Faragher has been alleged to have used racist language at the board meeting.
“There is no room for prejudice of any type at Essex County Cricket Club,” said John Stephenson, a former Essex and England player who just took over as the club’s chief executive.
“Faragher strongly denies the incident,” Essex said, “However the club will review why it was not fully and independently investigated at the time.”
Faragher’s resignation comes amid the racism scandal row, which has shrouded the fellow county club of Essex, Yorkshire. According to an independent investigation, Yorkshire has been extensively chastised for its handling of the controversy involving Azeem Rafiq, a former captain of the club who was the subject of racial abuse and bullying.
“We are committed to working with the England & Wales Cricket Board to eradicate discrimination from the game, Essex chief executive John Stephenson said. This is an important first step, but the club must now act further. Our internal reporting mechanisms will be reviewed to ensure that matters such as this are dealt with appropriately and immediately. Yorkshire has been widely criticized for its handling of the scandal involving Azeem Rafiq,” said a former captain of the team, who was the victim of racial harassment and bullying, as per an independent report.
Rafiq, a former England under-19 captain, stated in interviews last year that he was made to feel like an ‘outsider’ as a Muslim throughout his tenure at Yorkshire from 2008 to 2018, and that he was on the verge of suicide. Yorkshire County Cricket Club has been said to have settled the case with Rafiq and apologized to him.
The matter has caused a string of resignations to take place. Earlier Yorkshire Chief executive Mark Arthur and Chairman Roger Hutton quit their respective roles.
Follow MadOverCricket for the latest cricket news, cricket match updates, live cricket scores, cricket series updates, and more!
