- Title: Chelsea confirm club will conduct investigation after sexual abuse claims
- Date: 2nd December 2016
- Summary: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM (DECEMBER 2, 2016) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** CHELSEA'S HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, STEVE ATKINS AND CHELSEA MANAGER, ANTONIO CONTE ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE CAMERA FILMING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA'S HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, STEVE ATKINS, SAYING: "We did make a statement the other day in which we stated that we were holding our own investigation into the matter, into the case and when that investigation is complete, we will pass all the information over to the FA as part of their wider investigation. And until that time, until such time that the investigation is complete and we hand the information over to the FA so they can look at everything we have and the way the club acted, we're not going to make any further comment on the matter until that point." NEWS CONFERENCE IN PROGRESS (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA'S HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, STEVE ATKINS, SAYING: "I'd rather not comment on the aspects of the case but as you see from the media today, Mr Johnson has spoken to the media and he is free to do so." CAMERA PERSON FILMING NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHELSEA'S HEAD OF COMMUNICATIONS, STEVE ATKINS, SAYING: "When that investigation is complete we'll pass all information on to the FA and then they can have a look at it and they would be the appropriate ones to decide whether the club acted appropriately throughout." REPORTER, ASKING: "And one more question. Have any other former players come forward at this stage with allegations of abuse against this man?" "I'm not in position to say at this moment. I'll reserve that for later comment I think." MEDIA AT NEWS CONFERENCE NEWS CONFERENCE ENDING
- Embargoed: 17th December 2016 15:57
- Keywords: Chelsea Britain abuse
- Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- City: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
- Country: United Kingdom
- Reuters ID: LVA0015B6WQIV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Chelsea confirmed on Friday (December 2) that all information gathered in its investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at the club in the past will be given to the Football Association.
The club will investigate claims of sexual abuse made against former employee Eddie Heath, who is now dead, while he was the chief scout from 1968 to 1979.
Chelsea's head of communications, Steve Atkins told reporters at Stamford Bridge that once the investigation was completed the FA would be the correct body to decide whether Chelsea acted appropriately.
Atkins added that the club would not comment on claims made by former Chelsea player Gary Johnson who told British newspaper the Mirror that he was paid £50,000 by the club in 2015 to keep quiet about allegations of sexual abuse.
"We did make a statement the other day in which we stated that we were holding our own investigation into the matter, into the case and when that investigation is complete, we will pass all the information over to the FA as part of their wider investigation," Atkins said at a news conference at Stamford Bridge. "And until that time, until such time that the investigation is complete and we hand the information over to the FA so they can look at everything we have and the way the club acted. We're not going to make any further comment on the matter until that point."
In the case of Johnson, the Mirror reported that in 2015 he signed a confidentiality agreement and accepted £50,000 from the club, but they did not accept blame.
When asked about the allegations, Atkins said: "I'd rather not comment on the aspects of the case but as you see from the media today, Mr Johnson has spoken to the media and he is free to do so."
What began as a harrowing account of child abuse suffered by a former professional English soccer player last month has lifted the lid on what could be one of the worst paedophile scandals Britain has ever known.
Andy Woodward, 43, who played in the lower divisions of English soccer, told the Guardian newspaper in an interview two weeks ago how his life had been ruined because he had been molested as a boy by a youth team coach.
His frank revelations of the sexual abuse he endured three decades ago prompted more than 20 other former professionals to come forward with their own distressing stories of suffering at the hands of sexual predators in the sport.
The allegations of child sex abuse in English soccer from the 1970s through to the 1990s has shocked Britain and led to deep soul-searching in the game amid fears hundreds of young boys might have been involved.
In a sign of how widespread the abuse might have been, British police said on Thursday (December 1) that about 350 victims had come forward to report sexual abuse within soccer clubs and indicated the number was likely to rise.
Meanwhile, the FA has launched an internal review into what it admitted could be one the sport's biggest crises, but cast doubt on claims that some clubs had tried to cover-up allegations.
On Tuesday (November 30), Barry Bennell, 62, who was a talent spotter at Crewe Alexandra and a coach at Manchester City, was charged with eight historical sex offences against a 14-year-old boy. They included indecent assault, inciting a boy to commit an act of gross indecency and assault with intent to commit buggery.
Victims tell similar tales of how they were targeted while they were playing for youth teams and feared speaking out at the time would have wrecked their boyhood dreams.
Among the former players who waived a legal right to anonymity to tell their stories are former Manchester City player David White, who won an England cap, and another ex-England striker Paul Stewart, who had a successful career at Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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