NEWS
Follow UsEnglish county Essex on Friday announced the resignation of chairman John Faragher with immediate effect following allegations of racist language used in a board meeting in 2017.
"I was made aware of this single allegation on Thursday having joined the club four weeks ago. The board met last night [Thursday] during which John Faragher's resignation was unanimously accepted by the board," the county's new chief executive John Stephenson said in a statement.
The club pledged to work with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in its fight against racism and said that it will look into the allegations against Faragher on why an investigation was not conducted in 2017.
Faragher, who took over the role in 2016, denied claims made against against him. His resignation comes amid the crisis at Yorkshire caused by its handling of the investigation into allegations of institutionalized racism by former allrounder Azeem Rafiq.
""There is no place for discrimination of any kind at Essex County Cricket Club. This is a proud club with a zero-tolerance policy towards racism and any form of discrimination and, as Essex Cricket's new chief executive officer, I will not hesitate to uphold those principles and drive out any form of discrimination that is uncovered," Stephenson said.
"We are committed to working with the England & Wales Cricket Board to eradicate discrimination from the game. 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.
"I intend for those next actions to be communicated as soon as possible," he added.