John Yems demands apology in remarkable interview after ban for racist slurs

19 January 2023 , 13:41

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John Yems was found to have committed 11 breaches of FA rules by making discriminatory comments. (Image: Steve Bardens/Getty Images)

Disgraced former Crawley Town manager John Yems has remarkably insisted that he should receive an apology after being banned for making a series of vile racist slurs.

The 63-year-old has been suspended from all footballing activity until June 2024 for making 11 separate discriminatory comments towards players while in charge of the League Two club.

Earlier this week an independent panel ruled that he was “not a conscious racist" and instead described the words used - including referring to Black players as "Zulu warriors", an Asian player as “a curry muncher” and referring to "suicide vests" - as "banter" and an attempt at "jocularity."

The FA said that it "fundamentally disagreed" with the panel's evaluation of the case in a statement on Wednesday and the governing body is now looking into whether it can pursue legal action.

But Yems, in a remarkable interview on Talksport, said that he is the one who people should be saying sorry to.

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“If anybody needs an apology, I think I do,” he said. “The amount of abuse I've been getting. People haven't even had the courtesy to ask me. I don't think nobody has even looked at the case with any open-mindedness. If you're going in there, there should be a few apologies coming my way.”

The independent panel did not uphold four additional complaints against Yems and an accusation that he had segregated the dressing room at Crawley was not proven.

But he is refusing to show any remorse for the 11 charges he has been found guilty of, which also included putting an emphasis on the end of Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name and repeatedly asking African players if they liked jerk chicken.

Yems compared his punishment to getting kicked out of a pub before alleging the initial reports of his behaviour came after informing four young players they would not have their contracts renewed.

"It's very difficult to sit here,” he said. “I couldn't disagree with the panel's decision. It's not a court of law - that's the first thing people keep telling me. I haven't broken any laws. It's FA rules. It's like being thrown out of one pub and going into another.

"You've made mistakes under the FA rules, take the punishment or appeal. But in the end of it the panel in its wisdom decided to say I was not racist, didn't use racist language without intent and I was honest throughout my trial.”

Asked if he will say sorry to those offended by his remarks, he said “no” before criticising how the complaints had been handled by the media and Football Association. He also said that no one had informed him that such comments were offensive and that someone from the FA should have let him know that was the case.

John Yems pictured in January of last year.

He added: "The thing that I've done wrong has been highlighted to me and it has shown me now there's certain things you can't say or do. Well, so be it if that's the rules now. If that's what we're supposed to do now then let people know.

"To me it's the intent of what's being said. I've not purposefully gone out there individually to say to someone X, Y, Z purely on the colour of their skin.

"I didn't say that. You're hearing one side of the story. There are no witnesses. No, I didn't. There were four boys that were released by me at the end of the season that weren't being offered contracts. Make your own opinions and mind up about what goes on in football.

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"But within a day of the new owners coming into the football club all these accusations started being spouted about. There was never an enquiry. I wasn't asked about any of this until it went to the papers .Everything was thrown at the newspapers first.

"I didn't have a chance to say anything, do anything or speak to anybody until the Saturday morning I was sent home by the football club on a train all the way home from Mansfield.

“The big thing everyone was going on about was segregation and this, that and the other. There's a bigger story there to be told and looked at if people took the time. If I said anything offensive to anybody it was never intended to be racist towards anybody."

"Look at the other side. I've taken my punishment, got an 18-month ban and disagree because I didn't say a lot of the things I've been charged with.

"Once again, what about me being found not being racist, never using racist language with intent and never lying. If I was found guilty, blimey, I'd probably be in Belmarsh the way things are going. Let's get things in perspective, let's look at the things I've not been found guilty of."

Alan Smith