JOHN YEMS has been hit with an 18-month ban from football after being found guilty of 12 racism charges.
An investigation was launched into the former Crawley Town boss last April after he was accused of making 16 discriminatory comments towards his own players, breaching FA Rule E3.2.
This rule prohibits language referencing ethnic origin, race, nationality, colour, gender or religion.
Yems, 63, admitted to one of the charges against him but denied the other 15 during a hearing on Friday.
The allegations against Yems spanned between 2019 and 2022.
An independent regulatory commission found him guilty of 11 of the 15 further claims, in addition to the one he admitted.
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His ban from football related activities will run until June 1, 2024.
Yems was initially suspended by Crawley on April 23 last year after allegations against him came to light.
Thirteen days later, with the FA having confirmed that they’d be launching an investigation into their manager, Crawley relieved Yems of his duties.
Following the FA’s verdict, Crawley released the following statement: “We would like to thank the Football Association for its thorough investigation into these serious allegations and the independent Regulatory Commission for its thoughtful consideration and ruling on the findings.
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“As we have said many times, Crawley Town Football Club will never tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind.
“We remain eager to partner with our players, staff and supporters as we build a team and community that Red Devils fans can be proud of — both on and off the pitch.”
Former striker Jason Lee, who now works as the PFA’s senior equalities education executive, commended those that came forward with allegations for their bravery.
He said: “It takes bravery to come forward to report issues like this.
“It’s a massive thing for any individual to do, and that’s why it’s so vital that players have confidence that they will be listened to, believed and supported.
It’s vital that the structures are in place to tackle this kind of behaviour when it’s reported
Jason Lee
“I hope this outcome shows our members that there is a process in place, that it will be followed, and it can result in proper punishment.
“A person’s behaviour won’t change unless they are held to account. Letting it go unchecked and allowing them to just quietly reappear in other roles at other clubs doesn’t protect the players.”
He then added: “It’s vital that the structures are in place to tackle this kind of behaviour when it’s reported.
“But for the process to work everyone needs to be able to recognise discriminatory behaviour when they see it.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
