England’s Football Association in growing crisis of increasing number of paedophiles abusing young footballers as coaches

FOOTBALL, England’s beloved sport and the most high-profile in the world, is facing a major crisis with growing claims youth coaches were paedophiles.

Former English professional footballer Andy Woodward went public with allegations that he had been sexually assaulted by his coach Barry Bennell while aged 11 to 15 playing for Crewe Alexandra.

FOOTBALL, the United Kingdom’s heartland sport which runs the most high-profile competition in the world, has been rocked by revelations from former players that they were sexually abused by paedophile junior coaches.

Fifteen police forces across the United Kingdom are now investigating complaints from more than 20 former players that they were sexually abused by paedophiles connected to some of the major clubs.

Most complaints have been made against former youth talent scout and coach Barry Bennell.

A number of former players have waived their right to anonymity to detail the abuse they alleged they suffered, and with more than 860 calls made to a sexual abuse hotline and police, football officials are bracing themselves for further devastating revelations.

The English Football Association has launched a legal inquiry into what it knew at the time the crimes were allegedly carried out, from the late 970s to early 1990s.

Chairman Greg Clarke could not rule out the possibility that some clubs may have paid compensation to victims in return for confidentiality agreements.

“It’s certainly the biggest (crisis) I can remember,” Clarke said this week.

“I think the moral consequences of failing to deal with some of these issues in the past we must get to the bottom of.”

The scandal exploded on November 16 when Andy Woodward, a former Bury and Sheffield United player, went public with allegations he had been sexually assaulted by Bennell while he was playing with junior teams at Crewe Alexandra. Woodward was aged between 11 years and 15 years at the time.

Now aged 43, he told CNN that Bennell had used his position as a powerful coach and talent scout to abuse talented young footballers.

“He also had the power in football and as person to manipulate as many people as he wanted because it’s your inspiring dream to be a footballer,’’ Woodward said.

“He had the power to do what he wanted, when he wanted, where he wanted.”

The unfolding scandal has dragged in major clubs across the UK.

The 62-year-old Bennell, who was found unconscious by police last week in a suburban hotel in London, was charged on Tuesday with eight child sex offences, relating to a child under the age of 14 years.

Bennell’s house was raided by police and yesterday boarded up. Police will not reveal if he remains in hospital.

Ex English Premier League player Mark Williams, who played for Wimbledon, Stoke City, and a number of international games with Northern Ireland, spoke out this week about the abuse he alleges he suffered from Bennell as a junior player.

“I cannot just sit back and watch my exam-mates suffer alone,’’ he said in a statement.

“Barry Bennell’s systematic abuse has affected a whole generation of young footballer.

“No child should have to suffer as we and many others have.’’

Former England and Blackpool, Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City, Stoke City, Liverpool and Sunderland footballer Paul Stewart claims he was abused as a young teen by another unnamed coach. Picture: PA via AP

Former Manchester City, Leeds United and Sheffield United striker David White claims he was abused by Barry Bennell when a youth player. Picture: PA via AP

There are concerns the complaints against Bennell and others could be worse than the Jimmy Savile scandal, where an inquiry found celebrity Savile abused at least 72 victims but died without ever facing prosecution, despite a number of people at the BBC and other institutions having deep concerns about his behaviour around children.

Other players to speak publicly about the abuse they allege they suffered at Bennell’s hands including Crew Alexandra’s Steve Walters, and David White, a former Manchester City striker, who alleges Bennell abused him while he was playing for Whitehill FC juniors in Manchester in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

Two former junior players, Jason Dunford and Chris Unsworth, have also made public allegations against Bennell.

The 52-year-old Paul Stewart, who played for England, Tottenham, Blackpool, Manchester United and Liverpool, also said that another, unnamed coach, abused him as a youth player.

Complaints have also been made against George Ormond, the former Newcastle United youth coach who has previously been jailed for child sex offences.

The scandal has sent shockwaves across professional football, with clubs and the football associations now scrambling to ensure their child protection mechanisms are appropriate.

While cricket is the official sport in England, football, or soccer, is hugely popular, with 40,000 registered clubs, and more than eight million people, or one in five, playing it once a week.

Major football matches on TV can attract audiences of more than 15 million, and players are major stars with multimillion-dollar contracts.

But the allegations, which come after decades of whispers and concerns expressed about the actions of a small number of junior coaches and officials, shows a much darker side to the national sporting obsession.

Former Newcastle player Derek Bell said he was one of a number of young boys groomed and abused by George Ormond in the 1970s. Bell was aged just 12 to 16 years old and playing for local junior clubs Montagu and North Fenham when he says the abuse took place.

“It was pure, unbelievable heartache,’’ he told The Guardian, and revealed how he once armed himself with a knife and planned to kill his tormentor.

“Thinking my mum and dad were next door and he was performing these sexual acts. “Deep down in my mind I knew it wasn’t normal, but I was so scared to speak and come out and say it wasn’t right.”

Chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association Gordon Taylor said “six or seven clubs’’ had been connected with what he described as “particular individuals’’, and he named Crewe Alexandra, Manchester City, Blackpool, Leeds United, Stoke City and Newcastle United.