Essex faces more questions about its handling of historic allegations of racism after an extraordinary claim that the club changed a press release announcing the resignation of chairman John Faragher without his consent.
Faragher agreed to resign at a board meeting last November after the ECB threatened Essex with financial sanctions if they supported him. It can now be revealed that the terms of his departure were altered without his consent.
In a club statement published on November 12 last year, Essex said: “John Faragher resigned with immediate effect as chairman of the Essex County Cricket Club following a landmark allegation of racist language used by him at a board meeting in 2017. “.
Former Essex chairman John Faragher (right) claimed the club changed a press release about his resignation without his consent, saying the terms of his departure were changed.
Faragher (left) resigned last November following secret demands made by ECB chief Tom Harrison and acting president Barry O’Brien.
An earlier draft of the statement seen by sports mail It strikes a very different tone, however, as Faragher makes it clear that he was resigning for failing to instigate an independent investigation.
“An accusation was made that I used a racist comment,” the above statement reads. ‘I strongly deny having made this comment. However, the incident was not fully and independently investigated at the time. Therefore, in the interest of Essex cricket, I am resigning as chairman.”
faragher said sports mail on Monday night he agreed to walk out at the Nov. 11 meeting after Essex President John Stephenson revealed the ECB’s threats.
He added that the terms of his departure were changed when they were announced the following day.
Wasim Haq (pictured) had denounced Faragher for making a racist comment at a board meeting
“It was clear he had no choice,” Faragher said. ‘Eventually I said I would take it seriously and resign for not instigating an investigation. Based on that, we agreed on a press release announcing that he would go. I agreed to go based on those words despite the way I had been treated.
“I was waiting for the press release to come out the next day, but nothing came. I was in a meeting with my lawyer when he finally came out saying, ‘John Faragher resigned because of a racist comment,’ which was not what I had agreed to.
To be fair, a copy had been sent to me half an hour earlier, but I didn’t see it because I was in a meeting. I thought we agreed on a statement but they changed it. They also said that by resigning as president he had resigned from the board, but I didn’t.
Faragher has since retired along with seven other board members. Essex declined to comment.
