Essex racism case: Club fined £100,000 after admitting racism charges following allegations from 2001-2010

WARNING: This article contains descriptions of racism and other offensive and discriminatory language and behaviour.

Essex have been fined £100,000 after admitting charges relating to the “systemic” use of racist language or conduct at the club between 2001 and 2010.

The club were charged by the Cricket Regulator in June, having been alleged to have brought the game into “disrepute”.

It came after a number of former players made allegations in 2021, prompting a report to be ordered by Essex which found “a number of former players were victims of “racist abuse and discriminatory treatment”.

Essex admitted the charge on 10 June.

They have now been fined £100,000, £50,000 of which is suspended for two years, and warned about their future conduct by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC).

In its reasons for the sanctions the CDC panel said the “systemic use of racist and discriminatory language suggests a culture that was embedded across the club”.

It added: “Such language or conduct was used regularly, openly and seemingly without fear of criticism.

“No one at any level within the club sought to challenge or stop its use.

“It is plain that the problem was a systemic one, and is indicative of serious management failures towards the care of a number of ECCC’s ethnic minority players.”

Essex are the second county cricket club in England to be punished following racism allegations in the past two years.

Yorkshire were docked 48 points in the County Championship, four in 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, unlike Yorkshire’s, all related to allegations prior to 2020 the panel did not have the power to impose points deductions.