Essex have been charged by the Cricket Regulator over historic allegations of racism at the club, in the latest development of investigations into historic racism in English cricket.
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 heat the case over due course. No further comment will be made until the case is concluded."
The update on the investigations at Essex comes after an independent report led by Katharine Newton KC was released in December last year. The report upheld allegations of historic allegations of racist abuse at Essex, including that once player was nicknamed 'Bomber' due to his South Asian heritage, and another player was taunted with bananas for being Black.
The report was commissioned in November 2021 after the resignation of then-chairman John Faragher, who was accused of using racist language during a board meeting in 2017. That charge was also upheld by the report, and Essex were fined £50,000 by the ECB.
The Cricket Regulator was launched by the ECB in 2023 as the body responsible for monitoring compliance with the game's regulations, enforcement of adherence to those regulations and providing relevant information and education. It is ring-fenced from the rest of the ECB and seeks to bring further independence to the regulatory process. It's not been confirmed as of yet when the Cricket Discipline Commission will hear Essex's case.
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