Crawley Town are to appoint ex-Fulham, Barnsley, Oldham, Wycombe, Southend player Kevin Betsy as the League Two side’s new manager.
They parted company with former manager John Yems last month after concluding its investigation into the 62-year-old following several allegations of racism.
That came after a former Crawley player alleged that the club’s changing room was segregated on racial grounds, with players from ethnic minorities made to change away from their white team-mates.
John Yems leaves CrawleyTown in wake of racism claimshttps://t.co/avVDQeKDk4 pic.twitter.com/ahl45T6dLZ
— BBC Radio Sussex (@BBCSussex) May 9, 2022
Seven Crawley players came forward with allegations that Yems used discriminatory language and behaviour against his own players.
While an investigation by the FA is still ongoing and there is no estimated date as to when it will by concluded, Yems has since broken his silence, issuing a message to Crawley.
Speaking to the Crawley Observer, Yems said: “I want to thank all the Crawley Town fans for everything. They have been really good. I want them to keep going to Crawley Town and supporting the club.
“I never wanted to leave the club.
“We had a great couple of years and I have had a great time. We had a brilliant and diverse squad and I was looking forward to next season,
“For legal reasons I have got to keep my mouth shut but I just wanted to say thank you the fans and the players have been fantastic.
“I also want to thank Lee Bradbury and Lewis Young for all their help in the past couple of years.”
#Crawley close to an agreement to hire #Arsenal’s U23 coach Kevin Betsy as their new manager #Gunners #CTFC https://t.co/OzHTtF6aQx pic.twitter.com/Z5XAAgxsUg
— Lyall Thomas (@SkySportsLyall) June 2, 2022
SEE MORE: Crawley boss John Yems calls police after Sky reporter questions allegations
New owners WAGMI United have been keen on Arsenal’s u23 head coach Kevin Betsy after interviewing around 12 candidates for the manager’s role.
It comes after Crawley’s initial interest in the hugely successful Chelsea Women’s boss Emma Hayes ended.
Highly-rated Betsy, 44, hung up his boots after the 2014–15 season to focus on coaching and since come through the ranks at the Football Association to manage at various England junior levels up to the Under-18s.
In 2016, he was appointed head of England under-15s, having previously coached youth teams at Fulham.
Having moved on to lead the U16 and U17 squads, Betsy was appointed head coach for England U18s on the 24th of September 2020.
The former midfielder is widely recognised as one of the best emerging coaches in the country, and on the 3rd of August 2021, Betsy was appointed head coach of Arsenal U23s.
He took Arsenal from a tenth place finish to 3rd in the PL2 this season as well as guiding the U21s to victories against Ipswich Town & Newport County in the EFL Trophy.
Crawley finished the 2021/22 League Two campaign in 12th place last season, 16 points off the playoffs and 23 points clear of the relegation zone.
Fans reacted with Crawley to appoint the ex-Fulham, Barnsley, Oldham, Wycombe, Southend player as their new manager…
@DeanJamesAFC: This sucks but best of luck to him…
@ForeverAYellow: Makes me feel old, Im only 26 and remember his goal scoring days in the EFL like it was yesterday
@galway89: Shame, he seemed like a really good hire.
@bruceywells: Announce Kevin Betsy 💪🏼
@stephen_dimmock: If it’s him I’d be pretty happy, he’d be great with some of the younger players and also managers who have come from the youth game in recent years have turned out to be pretty successful (like Steve Cooper and Rob Edwards).
@scoutingindoors: Would be sad to lose Kevin Betsy but not surprising these opportunities are cropping up for him. He’s a really good coach. Maybe an opportunity to bring a former player back to the club as his replacement. I’ll let you all fill in that blank.
@AlexBurke1: Kevin Betsy a new name to me. New favourite for Crawley Town job. Quick google and hes got decent playing experience and been involved in the national youth set up. Seems alright to me 👍
Thanks lads – Friday night of a big bank holiday weekend, clearly thought this one through well for a UK audience!
— Joey D’Urso (@josephmdurso) June 2, 2022
@C00ke20: If it’s so easy to google would it have killed you to put in in originally
@JamieLavery_: You are really trying hard to make fans not like you.
@BustyBernardo: Fuck off announce now
@SallyJones143: The club is English. Majority of club’s fans are English. Why complicate things?
@EC1901_: 7pm on a bank holiday hahahaha can you even be arsed.
@ReeceDSport: I give Crawley town 12 months
@TinPotAndProud: Bank Holiday Friday at 7pm, can’t take these lot seriously and it’s the first announcement they’ve had to do.
@Jamesmulligan89: You lot are a disgrace to the game. Hope you get absolutely battered next season.
@M11ward: This is fucking embarrassing, posting like it’s a fifa career mode.
@PilldogSol: Going exactly as suspected 🤣 utter dickheads playing football manager
@DanBCAFC: @officialbantams Thank you, Rupp dodged the bullet with theses… can see it end up been a clown show
@Freddie_CFCCTFC: Please be the return of Yemsy and he’s been proved innocent 😂
@LowerThanRy: We’re an absolute joke.
@alzwhite44: I love the way other clubs have more to say then true crawley fans do..
@danp_89: Christ alive 🤦♂️
@SussexIsRed: pain
@sarahanstey23: They seem to forget that’s where most of the fans are 🤦🏼♀️
@mjfjo: I assume the actual announcement will also be on club twitter but their US customers (who will hopefully provide funding for the team) access info here, so providing we hear simultaneously what’s the problem? Admittedly communication has been crap, but then it has always been!
@peterbellamy: Seems no point them getting access to the club account then, which they said they had now got at the forum, after they realised the faux pas with the Yems suspension.
@mjfjo: Maybe not but let’s wait and see. After all as I said Comms was rubbish b4, hopefully they will get it sorted, not had a long time to get mgr, sponsor, sort s/t prices, (hopefully) sort fanzine/catering etc etc. I will give them the weekend!
@JamieLavery_: Second heads up @SportsCheetah make these announcements on the club Twitter. This isn’t a franchise, it’s a football club. Don’t alienate the fans before you really get going.
@braysoj1: #bcafc the gift what keeps on giving why don’t they use the club social channels
@scottsollis: Great I be at a wedding tomorrow constantly checking my phone 🤣🤣
@ctfc_b: Going to be hilarious when they make an announcement on their own account before the club…again.
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