John Yems found guilty of racial harassment at Crawley Town
An employment tribunal has found former Crawley Town manager John Yems guilty of racially harassing midfielder Amrit Bansal-McNulty on three separate occasions during the 2021/22 season, reports BritPanorama.
The ruling, released on Monday, determined that Crawley Town bears vicarious liability for Yems’ behaviour, which occurred while he was employed by the club between 2019 and 2022. Bansal-McNulty, a former Northern Ireland Under-21 international whose father is Indian and mother is Irish, was on loan at Crawley from Queens Park Rangers when the incidents took place.
The 26-year-old had brought claims of direct racial and religious discrimination alongside harassment allegations, but only the three harassment claims were upheld. Among the confirmed allegations was Yems referring to the midfielder as a “curry muncher” and questioning whether he was disappointed that sponsor-provided pizzas did not include a “curry pizza” option. The tribunal noted that Yems attempted to dismiss such comments as “banter,” a characterisation ultimately rejected by the panel.
All other harassment claims brought against the 66-year-old manager were unsuccessful, as were Bansal-McNulty’s claims of direct racial and religious discrimination against Yems, which were also dismissed. The midfielder is now pursuing approximately £12 million in damages, asserting that the abuse he endured resulted in psychiatric harm and led to an untimely end to his football career.
The case was heard over 30 days at the London Employment Tribunal, where Bansal-McNulty also pursued claims against QPR, the club he joined aged 14 in 2014. However, those claims were similarly unsuccessful. He departed QPR in 2022 without making a first-team appearance, following several loan spells.
The upcoming remedy hearing will proceed with only Yems and Crawley Town as respondents. Yems completed a three-year suspension in January, the longest discrimination ban ever imposed by the Football Association, after being found guilty of 11 charges related to his time at Crawley. The original sanction of 17 months was extended after an FA appeal, although four charges were dismissed, with the commission concluding he was “not a conscious racist.”
In its closing observations, the tribunal stated: “Unfortunately there are no real winners in this case. Whilst the Claimant has been partially successful in his claims against Mr Yems, and vicariously Crawley Town, his claims against QPR have failed. Mr Yems has not, and realistically was never going to, obtain the exoneration of his conduct and character he was seeking.”
With Bansal-McNulty yet to play professionally since leaving QPR, the case serves as a sharp reminder of the complex interplay between sport and personal conduct, highlighting that accountability in football often extends far beyond the pitch.
