The former Crawley manager, John Yems, has been banned from football for 15 months after a Football Association investigation into 16 alleged racist comments he made to his players between 2019 and 2022. Yems, 63, was charged by the FA with multiple “aggravated breaches” of FA Rule E3.2, as his comments “included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour, and/or race and/or nationality, and/or religion or belief, and/or gender”. On Friday, the FA said Yems admitted one of the charges and denied 15. At a subsequent hearing, an independent regulatory commission found 11 of the alleged comments to be proven, with four unproven. In addition to his suspension, Yems has been ordered to attend an education programme. A statement from the FA read: “An independent regulatory commission has suspended John Yems from all football and football-related activity up to and including 1 June 2024, and ordered him to attend an education programme for 12 breaches of FA Rule E3.2. “The former manager of Crawley Town was charged with 16 alleged comments in breach of FA Rule E3.2 during the period between 2019 and 2022,” the statement added. “It was further alleged that he had discriminated against Crawley Town players by reasons of ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race and/or nationality and/or religion or belief in breach of FA Rule E4 during the [same] period. However, this charge was denied by John Yems and later withdrawn by the FA prior to any hearing. The FA added that the independent commission had imposed the 15-month ban and its written reasons for the decisions “will be published at the earliest opportunity.” Yems, who took charge of Crawley in December 2019, was suspended for 12 days prior to his dismissal in May. A number of players from the League Two club took grievances to the PFA, which sparked the investigations. The former Nottingham Forest striker Jason Lee, who is now the senior equalities education executive for the PFA, said: “It takes bravery to come forward to report issues like this. “When players make that decision, they are likely to have given it a lot of thought. ‘What will it mean for my future at the club? Will it impact my career if I say something?” Lee added. “One of the most significant considerations will be the risk that they will be ignored or that they won’t be taken seriously. It’s a massive thing for any individual to do, and that’s why it’s so vital that players have confidence that they will be listened to, believed and supported. “This case has taken time, but the fact that it was taken all the way through to today’s conclusion is vital. The FA have also demonstrated the seriousness with which they take this, and they should be commended for making sure the process was followed. It shows that a collaborative effort on these issues can achieve positive outcomes.” In a brief statement, Crawley Town said: “We would like to thank the FA for its thorough investigation into these serious allegations and the independent regulatory commission for its thoughtful consideration and ruling on the findings. As we have said many times, Crawley Town FC will never tolerate racism or discrimination of any kind. We remain eager to partner with our players, staff and supporters as we build a team and community that Red Devils fans can be proud of — both on and off the pitch.”