Ibrahim Duarte claims Justin told him and other black employees, "You ni**ers ain't worth s**t".

The irate employee fumes, " I endured his constant racial slurs, jokes and belittling comments to make it work. But he just threw me to the curb like yesterday's trash."

When Darrin Henson, the group's black choreographer, collected an award, Timberlake called him "the dark member of 'N Sync". Duarte also claims black sound engineer Dale Ramsey had to endure jokes about his complexion, and security guard Kenneth Hunter was teased "in a racially offensive manner" - before both were dismissed.

The aggrieved tour manager claims he was sacked because Timberlake was ashamed of having a black "front man" - and was replaced by a white man with "significantly less experience".

Duarte adds, "In my 25 years in this industry, I've never been treated like this by any other artist."

Singer Justin Timberlake was once the victim of a racist attack, he claims. In 1993, he was walking home on Halloween after visiting his then girlfriend in a poor quarter of his hometown Memphis, Tennessee, when he was floored with a blow on the head.

Justin collapsed and was kicked in the ribs until he blacked out. When he came round, he saw three black men running away and realised they hadn't taken his wallet, and had apparently beaten him up just because he was white.

He said: "It's a tense place. No getting away from it. I didn't understand and I felt aggressive and confused. Because that's not the way I was raised.

"But I accepted it. That's America. It's divided."