Essex County Cricket Club charged over allegations of racist language and conduct

Essex County Cricket Club have been charged with failing to address ‘systematic’ racist language and conduct at the club in a nine-year period between 2001 and 2010.

The charges have been brought by the Cricket Regulator, accusing Essex of breaching England and Wales Cricket Board directive 3.3 which states that: "no participant may conduct themself in a manner, do any act or make any omission at any time which is improper or which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the ECB, the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute."

The Cricket Regulator said in a statement: "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 in due course."

Essex say they have co-operated fully with the regulator and will continue to do so. The case will now be heard by an independent Cricket Discipline Commission and the club said in a statement that they would "participate willingly.”

The statement added: "There will be no further comment from the club at this time."

The news comes less than a year after Yorkshire were fined £400,000 - £300,000 suspended for two years - and docked 48 Championship points and four in the T20 Blast over their handling of allegations of discrimination by 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.