FA disown report calling Yems ‘not a conscious racist’

THE FA have publicly opposed the findings of their own independent panel that ruled disgraced former Crawley Town manager John Yems is not a ‘conscious racist’. English football’s governing body have been roundly criticised after the publication of a report into Yems’ racial taunts towards players during his time in charge of Crawley — a story revealed by Sportsmail last April. Within the written reasons, the independent regulatory commission said Yems is not a ‘conscious racist’, a verdict which sparked outrage across the football community given the nature of the slurs. However, the FA disagree with the resolution of their own independent panel and are seeking legal advice ahead of a possible appeal. The organisation also believe the 18-month ban meted out to Yems (below) was too lenient. An FA statement said yesterday: ‘The FA brought 16 charges of discrimination against John Yems. The independent regulatory commission decided on an 18-month ban for the 12 charges which it upheld or was admitted. We had requested a longer ban.

‘Based on the evidence presented to the commission, we don’t agree that the panel should have found that this was not a case of conscious racism.’ Ian Wright and Anton Ferdinand were among the high profile figures to condemn the FA’s written reasons on social media. Anti-discriminatory body Kick it Out have also criticised the independent commission’s report on Yems.

The backlash comes as the FA continue to operate without a director of equality, diversity and inclusion — a position that has been vacant for six months following the departure of Edleen John.

The FA have entrusted London-based recruitment firm Perrett Laver to help fill the vacancy which is a crucial position in the FA’s senior management team. However, no appointment is imminent, which has raised concerns from diversity figures within English football.

The recruitment process started in October and interviews have taken place, with the FA said to be making progress in sourcing candidates to replace John. In the meantime, human resources director Rachel Brace is leading their work in the area.