Essex players faced racist abuse and discrimination, report finds

An independent report into racist language and behaviour at Essex has upheld a string of allegations, including the use of the nickname “curry muncher” for two players of South Asian heritage and the repeated taunting of a black player with a banana.

Commissioned by the club in late 2021, and covering a period from the mid-1990s to 2013, the report by Katharine Newton KC paints a grim picture of the dressing room culture at Chelmsford in which racist slurs were normalised as “banter”. Minority ethnic players, the report concluded, were “too scared to speak up” for fear of damaging their careers.

A 38-page summary of Newton’s work was published on Friday and though names were withheld – and most of the perpetrators have since left the club – Essex have stated that any current employees implicated are likely to face sanctions. The report also upheld an allegation that John Faragher, the former Essex chair, used a racially offensive phrase during a board meeting in 2017 which the club failed to properly escalate.

The latter incident has already seen Essex handed a £50,000 fine by the England and Wales Cricket Board, with the governing body still investigating wider allegations of racism at the club. It follows three former players – Zoheb Sharif, Jahid Ahmed and Maurice Chambers – going public with harrowing stories from their time in the setup.

While not named in the summary report, the experiences outlined by Newton’s investigation marry up with past interviews given by the three players. In the case of Sharif, at the club from 2000 to 2004, this included being given the nickname “bomber” by “certain senior players” after the 11 September terrorist attacks in New York.

Jahid, on the books at Essex from 2003 to 2009 and the first British-born county cricketer of Bangladeshi heritage, was also found to have been referred to by teammates as “terrorist” and, like Sharif, “curry muncher”. After the discovery of two car bombs in London made the news, one player asked Ahmed “would you bomb us?” in front of teammates.

Meanwhile Chambers, a Jamaican-born fast bowler who grew up in east London and was at Essex from 2004 to 2013, was repeatedly subjected to racist taunts by a player who would offer him bananas. This took place in the dressing room and on the team bus, with the coach at the time – not named in the report summary – doing nothing to stop this.

On another occasion a trialist at the club, who was lodged in the same flat as Chambers, threw a banana down the stairs after a night out and told him to “go fetch it you fucking monkey”. While not signed, the player did not see their trial immediately terminated – nor were they moved out of the flat – despite Chambers’s mother reporting his conduct.

Newton’s report also concluded that one “senior individual” at the club referred to black players as “egg’n” – a shortening of racist cockney rhyming slang term ‘egg and spoon’ – and another ex-player used the N-word on more than one occasion. Black players were also routinely “on the receiving end of comments about the size of their penis”.

The report also looked into whether the releases of Sharif and Ahmed were racially motivated but, despite criticising the unprofessional way the club delivered the news, could not uphold this. Similarly, the report accused Faragher of acting in a “bullying and intimidatory manner” towards an individual who was standing for election to the committee but concluded he did not do so “because of the individual’s race”.

Anu Mohindru, appointed chair of Essex in October, has issued unreserved apologies in person to all three players and stated that “fundamental errors” took place which did not reflect “the Essex of today”. The club has begun work on 15 recommendations issued by Newton relating to equality, diversity and inclusion measures.

While Essex consider options for internal disciplinary proceedings, the ECB’s separate investigation could well see more individuals charged in time. As occurred in the cases relating to Yorkshire this year, this may well see individuals named publicly.

Reacting to the publication of the summary report, Jahid told the Cricketer magazine: “It’s a huge relief. My complaints have been upheld and, after years of feeling ignored and rejected, I finally feel heard and respected.

“The report shows we weren’t lying and we weren’t crazy. On a personal level, I very much appreciate the apology the club have made to me. For them to acknowledge what we went through is an important step.

“More importantly, by accepting what the culture of the club was like, they can ensure it never happens again. The outcome of this report should make it easier for the next generation of players to come through.”