Cricket Regulator have charged Essex for historic allegations relating to racist language or conduct at the club between 2001 and 2010. In 2023, the ECB launched the Cricket Regulator for monitoring compliance with the game’s regulations, enforcement of adherence to those regulations and providing relevant information and education.
Essex charged for historic racism allegations
The Cricket Regulator brought the charges, accusing Essex of breaching England and Wales Cricket Board directive 3.3.
In a statement released by the club today (June 3), Essex said: “The club has been charged with a breach of ECB Directive 3.3 following the investigation into allegations which covered a significant period of time.
“ECB Directive 3.3 concerns conduct, acts or omissions which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute.
“It is alleged by the Cricket Regulator that there was systemic use of racist and/or discriminatory language and/or conduct at Essex, during the period between 2001 and 2010, which Essex failed to address.
“An independent panel of the Cricket Discipline Commission will hear the case over due course. No further comment will be made until the case is concluded.”
The report said that the complaints related to a period from the mid 1990s to 2013 and they reflected a dressing room culture which regarded ethnic, racial and religious comments as “banter”.
“Those at the receiving end of this treatment were too scared to speak up for fear of damaging their prospects of selection and progression,” the report continued.
Following the report’s publication club chairman Anu Mohindru said “fundamental errors” had been made in the past which did not reflect “the Essex of today”.
In July last year, Yorkshire were fined £400,000 (£300,000 of which was suspended for two years) and docked 48 Championship points over their handling of allegations of discrimination by their former player Azeem Rafiq, and a failure to address the systemic use of racist and discriminatory language over a prolonged period between 2004 and 2021.
