NICK HOWSON: The former chair has no plans to return in a senior position at Chelmsford, instead watching the team from afar, as he attempts to clear his name
John Faragher has no intention of embarking on a return to a senior position at Essex.
The former chair is suing the eight-time County Championship winners for the statement that accompanied confirmation of his departure in November 2021.
Not seeking a financial settlement, Faragher wants an apology following 30 years of unpaid service at Chelmsford.
His departure followed allegations he used the term 'n***** in the woodpile' at a 2017 board meeting, a claim he strongly denies.
Having agreed to step aside while an investigation was conducted, a media release confirming his immediate exit was issued which he claims is different to the one agreed with chief-executive John Stephenson and the board.
It has been a turbulent time for Essex away from the middle (Alex Davidson/Getty Images)
Essex were fined £50,000 and reprimanded by the Cricket Discipline Commission after accepting two charges relating to the comment and the failure to investigate it.
Several members of the board resigned including Wasim Haq, who was present at the 2017 meeting and is among those corroborating the claim.
Haq raised the issue with the Essex general committee one year after the alleged incident took place, before it re-emerged 46 months later, triggering Faragher's departure.
A source close to the former Essex chief, who also served as chief executive during the Covid-19 pandemic, claims Haq put together a seven-point dossier to remove and replace him as chair with Ronnie Irani, another of those who substantiated the allegation.
Irani had already sullied his relationship with the Essex playing group after he suggested there was a drinking culture in the dressing room.
The experiences of Maurice Chambers, among others, are being investigated by Katharine Newton KC (Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)
It is claimed that senior players, including Sir Alastair Cook, current captain Tom Westley, Simon Harmer and head coach Anthony McGrath were in an uproar, refusing to sign new contracts until he left his various roles on the board and as chair of the cricket committee, which by October 2021 he had done.
Upon being informed of the allegations around Faragher, the ECB gave him a week to provide a response to the investigation team. Just a few days later then acting ECB chair Barry O'Brien, at the behest of ex-chief executive Tom Harrison, contacted Faragher to tell him he would have to leave immediately.
Essex were informed they would lose England women's internationals and have funds withheld if Faragher was not removed, though he was not interviewed as part of an investigation.
The terms of an Essex statement issued after Faragher’s departure is now central to the defamation case for which he is demanding a public apology.
The ECB deny pressuring Essex to act or helping to put together the statement which accompanied his departure.
Katharine Newton KC’s report into historic allegations of racism is expected to be released this month and it remains to be seen what details, if any, from the episode are contained within it.
Essex's Chelmsford home (Jacques Feeney/Getty Images)
Daughter Jo Faragher was part of the raft of new additions to the Essex board at the club AGM in November 2022. But there is no suggestion her father wants to return or in any way influence club decisions from afar.
He attended the majority of home matches last season and is expected to do the same in 2023.
Jo Faragher was voted onto the board despite not being put forward by the nominations committee, which suggests candidates for election after she stood as a member.
Appointed to the board by the nominations committee was chair Azeem Ahktar, who is currently the subject of an independent investigation into historic activity on social media relating to endorsement of antisemitism, led by law firm Squire Patton Boggs
Essex confirmed their support for Akhtar's decision to step aside and initiate the review. In a statement accompanying the announcement, he reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the club "is an inclusive and welcoming environment for people of all backgrounds".
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