Former Essex player makes racism allegation dating back to 2001

The allegation refers to an incident in 2001

A former Essex County Cricket Club player has made an allegation of racism during his time at the club, dating back to 2001.

Chief executive at Essex, John Stephenson, said that he was "extremely shocked and saddened" by the allegation.

"There is absolutely no place for discrimination of any kind at Essex County Cricket Club," Stephenson said.

It comes a day after Essex chairman John Faragher resigned from his position following an allegation that he used racist language in a 2017 board meeting.

Essex have stated that they are encouraging any former players, staff or those associated with the club to come forward - either in person or anonymously - if they had experienced discrimination.

https://twitter.com/EssexCricket/status/1459597138795630601

"I immediately reached out to the former player to offer him my and Essex County Cricket Club's full support and to encourage him to come forward and talk to myself and the club about his experiences," Stephenson's statement continued.

"We will put the right care in place for him and we applaud his bravery and courage for speaking out on such a sensitive issue after all these years.

"As chief executive, I am committed to upholding the club's multicultural and diverse values with a zero-tolerance policy towards racism or any form of discrimination.

"All allegations, regardless of when they took place, will be investigated thoroughly and urgently."

Faragher's resignation came just one day after the chief executive of Yorkshire County Cricket Club, Mark Arthur, resigned over the club's response to the Azeem Rafiq case, reported by the BBC.

Related links:

• Essex chairman resigns over historical allegation of racist language
• Yorkshire set to open independent whistleblowing hotline next week
• Yorkshire chief executive Mark Arthur resigns over the club’s response to Azeem Rafiq case