FA investigates Premier League club boss over s3x claims

The Football Association (FA) has launched a safeguarding inquiry into a Premier League club official, following a BBC investigation conducted a year ago.

The investigation revealed that, despite three women reporting the official to the police for alleged sexual offenses, he remained in his role at the club.

One of the women, who was under 16 at the time of the alleged incident, told the BBC that the FA failed to protect women and girls by not taking action.

According to The Athletic, the FA has now initiated its own inquiry after police decided not to pursue further action. A spokesperson for the FA stated that while they do not comment on individual cases, they have “robust safeguarding measures in place.”

In an October email seen by the BBC, the FA invited one of the complainants, referred to as Kate, to discuss her experiences as part of the safeguarding investigation. The FA informed her that it would not disclose details or outcomes of the investigation once completed.

Kate first contacted the FA in July 2023, reporting a historical rape by the official when she was 15. However, she feels the FA only responded recently.

“Football authorities and [the] government seem to have turned a blind eye, deaf ear and chose to say and do nothing to protect females from the threats he poses to girls and women,” she told the BBC in reaction to the news of an FA inquiry.

While Kate is glad the investigation has been opened she says she has serious concerns about the lack of transparency about any action taken. “We need assurances that all females at the club are safe,” she adds.

The boss was also investigated in 2021 after an allegation that he sexually abused a different 15-year-old in the 1990s. No further action was taken in that case because of legislation which stated that if an offence of “unlawful sexual intercourse” took place between 1956 and 2004, and the alleged victim was a girl aged 13 to 15, she had to make a complaint within a year.

The BBC spoke with a third woman who reported that, in the late 1990s, the club official locked her in a room and attempted to coerce her into sexual activity during a job interview when she was in her early 20s.

Police have since closed all three investigations related to the official.

In a report from November of last year, the BBC found that since 2020, seven out of 20 Premier League clubs have had players or officials investigated for sexual offenses.

FA regulations currently only address responses to such allegations if they occur within a “football environment” or involve children or vulnerable adults.

Under its policies, the FA can impose an interim suspension order, restricting an individual from participating in some or all football activities while the investigation is ongoing.

Such an order can be imposed where the FA receives information that causes it “reasonably to believe that a person poses or may pose a risk of harm”.

The new inquiry will be led by the FA’s professional game safeguarding manager.

A spokesperson for the national governing body said: “We investigate and assess all allegations and concerns about individuals who may pose a risk of harm to children and adults at risk in football and, where applicable, can impose proportionate safeguarding measures in accordance with FA safeguarding regulations.”