Clarke message ‘not racist’

GILES CLARKE, the former boss of English cricket, has been defended against a charge of racism over a WhatsApp message.

Clarke, who was chairman of the ECB for eight years and later its first president, has been accused of sending a questionable WhatsApp message last year.

The message, uncovered by The Mail on Sunday, was nothing to do with cricket but thought to be related to potential investors in an Africa-focused investments company, Kazera Global.

Clarke was chairman of the company before resigning last month. The prospective backers included Namibians and several Arab companies and Clarke’s WhatsApp message to a business associate read: ‘Namibians would raise anyone’s blood pressure when combined with Arabs.’

Clarke is also a non-executive director of Ironveld, a London-listed mining firm and the company insisted Clarke’s comments were not racist and defended him, claiming the message had been taken out of context.

‘Racism is a very serious allegation,’ said a spokesman. ‘The WhatsApp message you refer to is taken out of context. Racism of any form is intolerable and Giles Clarke has campaigned against it and will continue to do so.’

Cricket is currently mired in a wave of racism allegations, many dating back more than a decade or more.

Clarke was made a non-executive director of the ECB in 2004, elected chairman three years later and stayed in that position until 2015.

He was then appointed the organisation’s president. Clarke was also a director of the International Cricket Council for more than 10 years.