Racism in cricket: Essex charged by ECB over comment at board meeting in 2017

John FaragherRex Features

John Faragher denies the allegation he used racist language

Essex County Cricket Club have been charged by the England and Wales Cricket Board over an alleged racist comment at a board meeting in 2017.

The club have also been charged over their subsequent failure to conduct an appropriate, or any, investigation into the alleged comment.

In November, John Faragher resigned as Essex chairman but strongly denies the allegation he used racist language.

The ECB started its own investigation, leading to two disciplinary charges.

Essex said: "These are not new allegations, but are the next formal part of the ECB process regarding issues that were raised by the ECB in October 2021.

"The club takes this matter extremely seriously. We have co-operated fully with the ECB's investigations since they commenced last year and will continue to do so as the process moves to this next stage."

Essex said in November that they would review why the matter was not fully and independently investigated at the time.

The club have been charged with a breach of ECB Directive 3.3, which reads: "No participant may conduct themself in a manner or do any act or omission at any time which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute."

A panel of the ECB's cricket discipline commission will now hear the case.

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