Sexual abuse allegations in British football take alarming new turn

ALLEGATIONS of historical sexual abuse within the closed off confines of British football are set to take further twists and turns amid claims that victims have been paid for their silence and several of the accused still play an active role in the game today.

The news broke when former Crewe player claimed he was abused by senior staff as a youngster, and since then dozens more players have come forward, throwing the FA into a crisis described by chairman Greg Clarke as the worst in living memory

An independent group named the Offside Trust has been established to uncover the true depth of the allegations, which is threatening to be as damaging as the Saville inquiry.

Chelsea have already admitted paying Gary Johnson £50,000 to keep quiet about abuse he suffered in the 1970s and the club apologised this week but a Pandora’s Box of claims has been opened with other players saying they too were offered hush money. 

Clarke has admitted that the true scale of the rot is likely to be far worse than initially feared.  

Most alarming are the revelations from the Offside Trust that players speaking on the condition of anonymity claim that they were groomed as young boys by individuals still active in the sport, in many cases in senior positions.