London - Football coaches still working in the game’s ‘senior echelons’ have been accused by victims of sexually abusing children.
The chilling revelation has been made by the lawyer representing the newly formed Offside Trust, which was launched by Andy Woodward, Steve Walters and other victims in Manchester on Monday.
Edward Smethurst, recognised previously as the chairman of the Madeleine McCann Fund and the managing partner of a Manchester law firm now representing football’s sex abuse victims free of charge, also revealed that Chelsea are only one of several clubs who have paid hush money to former players to keep cases out of the public domain.
Smethurst also questioned the independence of the Football Association inquiry into child sex abuse and their handling of child protection issues, because they have appointed and are paying the QC.
At the end of an emotionally charged press conference on Monday, Smethurst said the offices of his firm, Prosperity Law, had been inundated with calls from victims.
‘There are specific allegations against specific individuals, many of whom have been rumoured to be involved for a very long time, some of whom still work in the senior echelons of football,’ he said.
Asked how many people that extended to, he replied: ‘We don’t know, is the short answer. There are people coming forward all the time. There are people we are going to be meeting over the coming days and weeks and we are going to be asking for specifics. We have had people who have emailed or phoned in who have made specific allegations but am I in a position to say it’s exactly number X? No, I’m not.
‘There are certain names who wouldn’t surprise you who do come up repeatedly. And there are some names that I haven’t heard before but I can’t pretend to have a total knowledge of what has been in the public domain.
‘But there are people involved in the game today, who victims have spoken to me about. They certainly need further investigation.’
Smethurst said he was not in a position to simply hand such information to the police. ‘It depends on the wishes of the client,’ he said. ‘This has moved at an incredibly fast pace.
‘But some people want to be anonymous. Unless you’ve been a victim of something like this I think it’s very difficult for an outsider to understand. So some want to talk to someone about it but don’t necessarily want the furore.
‘They might not even want their parents or children to know, they might think that there’s nothing they can do about it, that it might be swept under the carpet. There are 101 different reasons why people just don’t want to take it anywhere at that stage.’
Members of the trust hope their own courage will provide others with the strength to go to the police. Woodward spoke yesterday of their desire for justice as well as support.
‘We need a bit of help, we just need help,’ said Woodward. ‘We are falling apart inside.’
Chelsea have admitted they paid their former player, Gary Johnson, £50,000 in compensation two years ago after he claimed he was abused by their now deceased former scout, Eddie Heath. But the payment was part of an insurance policy that included a confidentiality clause and the Premier League leaders have now hired a law firm to investigate a matter that on Saturday prompted them to issue a public apology.
Smethurst, however, has now confirmed that Chelsea were not alone in employing such insurance policies to protect the reputation of the club, though he could not say how many clubs did the same.
‘Allegations have been made by victims that confidentiality clauses have been used by other clubs. But I’m not in a position to independently verify this at this stage.’
Asked if he could estimate how many clubs might be involved, he replied: ‘It is unfurling as we speak,’ he said. ‘It’s several, but less than five.’
The trust want donations from the FA and other major stakeholders in the game, and Smethurst said that would not create a potential conflict if the trust launches legal action on behalf of victims.
‘Anyone who donates, whether it’s a member of the public or a sponsor or a professional body like the PFA or the FA, it would have to be without strings,’ he said. ‘If you open a trust everybody is free to donate.’
But Smethurst is concerned about the independence of an FA inquiry being led by Kate Gallafent QC.
‘Is it a concern? Absolutely,’ he said. ‘You have to think about skill set and knowledge of the game. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure she is a very eminent QC but is she really going to be able to get under the skin of something that has been endemic, something that people are very reluctant to talk about?
‘I was reading about the previous FA report where about one per cent of scouts responded and they raised concerns and it was shut down.’
The statements made by Walters were particularly moving yesterday. At first he was unable to speak but after composing himself he tore into Crewe Alexandra for failing to issue an apology for the abuse he suffered as a youngster.
‘We’ve not had an inkling of an apology,’ he said. ‘It’s absolutely disgusting. Chelsea is too little, too late but at least they’ve put their head above the parapet.
‘Crewe have buried their heads in the sand while we suffer. You would not believe how many more will come out. Take your heads out of the sand. An apology would be a start.’
Walters said he alone had been contacted by dozens of victims.
‘Since all this happened I’ve had about 50 different ex-players who have contacted me to say things have happened to them,’ he said.
‘Some players told me they’ve been groomed, others had a certain level of abuse, some are horrific stories. It’s never-ending.
‘We need more high-profile people in sport supporting this. The bravado in football has to stop. Just think, that could be your child. Every time I look at my child it’s hard work.’
Walters broke down at that point, but gathered his strength later to call for the resignation of Dario Gradi and John Bowler, the manager and chairman of Crewe respectively when he was abused and who remain at the club.