Former Crawley Town manager John Yems to receive English football’s longest-ever penalty for discrimination as he is suspended for three years after the FA successfully appealed his initial 17-month suspension
- John Yems was suspended for 17 months in January for discrimination
- The FA appealed against his initial suspension, calling the sentence insufficient
- Former Crawley Town boss Yems has now had his suspension extended to three years
The disgraced ex-Crawley Town boss John Yems has had his suspension from football for discrimination extended to three years.
The 63-year-old was handed a 17-month ban in January after being found guilty of using ‘discriminatory language’ and ‘racist banter’ towards his players.
It came after Sportsmail’s revelations that a group of Crawley players had complained about their manager’s language last April, with the League Two club sacking him the following month.
An independent regulatory panel banned Yems until June 2024 after he admitted one charge and was found guilty of 11 others in relation to comments made between 2019 and 2022 that referred to ethnicity, color, race, nationality, religion, belief or sex – but alleged that he was not a “conscious racist.”
However, the FA had pushed for a two-year ban and in January said it “fundamentally disagreed” with the panel’s findings that this was not a case of “conscious racism”, and felt the sanction was insufficient – announcing to appeal. the decision.
Disgraced ex-Crawley Town boss John Yems has extended his football ban to three years after a successful appeal from the FA
An independent regulatory panel originally banned Yems until June 2024 after Sportsmail’s revelations, a group of Crawley players complained about their boss’s language
And on Wednesday, an independent appeals committee extended Yems’ suspension from all football and soccer-related activities by three years through January 5, 2026, following the FA’s successful appeal.
Commenting on the decision, an FA spokesman said: “We welcome the ruling of the Independent Appeals Committee to suspend John Yems from all football-related activity until January 2026.
“This is the longest suspension ever issued for a participant in English football for discrimination, and follows our decision to appeal after the first hearing in January to challenge the Independent Regulatory Commission’s ruling.
“We strongly disagreed with their original sanction, as well as some elements of their judgment, which we fundamentally believed were inappropriate for the gravity of the crimes committed by John Yems.”
They continued: ‘We are pleased that the Independent Appeals Board ruled that specific findings of the Independent Regulatory Commission were unreasonable, as there were numerous examples of inherently and blatantly racist language.
“This is a deeply distressing matter for the victims involved and we hope that the outcome of this appeal will help bring it to an end. We also hope that this will encourage anyone who has experienced or witnessed discrimination in the game to report it.
“Everyone should be able to play the game in an environment that is free from discrimination and should know that they can trust those who hold positions of responsibility and power to lead a safe and positive culture, free from harm.
The FA had pushed for a two-year ban, after “fundamentally disagreeing” with the panel’s findings that this was not a case of “conscious racism” and that their appeal was a success.
The FA ‘welcomed’ what they say is the longest ever suspension in English football for discrimination (Photo – FA CEO Mark Bullingham)
“If there is discrimination, we will always do our utmost to ensure that appropriate sanctions are in place and education is available where necessary to change mindsets and continuously improve football culture.”
Sportsmail revealed last April that Yems was accused of calling Crawley’s black players ‘Zulu warriors’ and describing Muslim members of the squad as ‘terrorists’, both of which turned out to have happened.
Among other extraordinary findings, the FA panel concluded that Yems also:
- Intentionally mispronounced the second half of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name to emphasize the word “n****r.”
- Told Muslim players ‘your people blow things up with vests’.
- Said an Iraqi youth international at the club would ‘probably blow up the stadium’.
- Made repeated comments about another player ‘carrying a bomb in his bag’.
- Called one player a ‘curry muncher’.
- Repeatedly asked the same player if he was not satisfied that the club did not serve ‘curry pizza’.
- Remarked to a player about ‘how dark his skin is’ on his return to Crawley after representing Grenada.
- Frequently asked several African players if they ate jerk chicken, despite being told more than once that it is a Jamaican delicacy.
The 63-year-old was fired by Crawley a month after the Sportsmail revelations in April 2022
An independent appeals committee extended Yems’ suspension from all football and soccer-related activities until 5 January 2026, following the FA’s successful appeal.
FA chief Mark Bullingham had revealed in January after the initial 17-month ban that his organization was exploring legal options and the governing body has now confirmed an appeal.
“We are appealing the sanction imposed on John Yems by the independent panel,” the FA said in a statement.
“We think a longer sanction is appropriate. We cannot comment further until the appeal is completed.”
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