Three claims of racial harassment against former Crawley Town manager John Yems have been upheld by an employment tribunal. The claims were brought by ex-Northern Ireland Under-21 international Amrit Bansal-McNulty, who is seeking around £12 million in compensation from former clubs QPR and Crawley.
The tribunal judgment, issued on Monday, found that Yems' conduct between 2019 and 2022 left Crawley 'vicariously liable'. One upheld charge involved Yems calling Bansal-McNulty a 'curry muncher' and asking if he was unhappy that pizzas did not include a 'curry pizza'. Yems had attempted to characterise such remarks as 'banter', according to the judgment.
Bansal-McNulty alleged the clubs failed to protect him from Yems' abuse during his 2021-22 loan spell at Crawley. However, the claims against QPR, which he joined in 2014 aged 14 and left in 2022 without a first-team appearance, were dismissed.
The tribunal noted: '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.' Bansal-McNulty claims the abuse caused 'psychiatric, and career-ending, injury'. A remedy hearing will involve only Yems and Crawley.
In January, Yems completed a three-year ban, increased from 17 months after an FA appeal, for 11 discrimination charges while at Crawley. The ban was the longest ever for discrimination by the FA, though four charges were dismissed and the original commission concluded Yems was 'not a conscious racist'.
