Premier League footballer questioned over rape allegations

A Premier League footballer has been questioned again by police and remains under investigation for allegedly raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth, the BBC can reveal.

This occurs a year after a BBC news investigationwho spoke to five women who accused the Premier League player of rape, sexual assault or controlling behaviour.

Despite four women reporting the man, whom we call Player X, to the police for alleged sexual crimes between 2021 and 2023, he has continued to play for the club.

One woman told the BBC that a lack of action from the club and the Football Association’s governing body contributed to her attempt to take her own life.

“I didn’t want to exist in a world where I’m constantly reminded that rape allegations can be ignored as long as you’re talented enough,” she explained.

Another woman said she believes that if Player X had been suspended after the first accusation, she would not have been sexually assaulted.

Football officials say they take sexual misconduct very seriously.

The BBC has confirmed that the footballer went to a police station on Thursday, November 7, and was questioned under caution: it was the first time he had been questioned about a rape allegation reported last year by a fourth woman.

It has been two and a half years since Player X was first arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022, following a report from a woman. Shortly afterwards he was also arrested for a previous accusation of rape by a second woman, who reported him to the police in August 2021.

Player

Privacy rules regarding the identification of suspects mean the BBC is not naming the footballer. The player has denied any wrongdoing, the BBC understands.

One of the women, whom we call Kira, first reported Player

“This investigation, my only chance for justice, has exhausted me physically and mentally… the longer this investigation drags on, the more my trust in the system fades,” he told the BBC.

The BBC investigation last November found that seven in 20 Premier League clubs have had players or bosses investigated by police for sexual offenses since 2020.

However, bodies only have regulations on how to respond to allegations of this nature if they occur within “a football environment” or if the concerns relate to children or vulnerable adults. Therefore, they say that the allegations against Player X do not fall within their protection requirements.

This contrasts with the approach in the United States, where the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) have publicly available policies for players or staff who have been accused of sexual or domestic violence. .

The women told the BBC last November that the club, the FA and the Premier League are prioritizing commercial interests over women’s safety.

The celebrity status of top footballers has led to calls for players caught in criminal allegations to be suspended until they have been fully investigated.

Dame Caroline Dineage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told the BBC last year that footballers’ public role model status means it is crucial that any allegations of sexual abuse are handled appropriately.

“As part of the new regulator’s role in setting licensing conditions, we want it to have powers to criticize clubs for their approach and lack of progress when it comes to improving all aspects of equality, diversity and equality. inclusion,” he added.

The Department of Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC that as there is an ongoing investigation, this is a matter for the police, the FA and the Premier League.

After first going to the police in August 2021, Kira emailed the FA, Premier League and club about her allegations the following month in “desperation” as she was concerned he was still playing on a platform. so big while it was being investigated. .

The club told him it could not discuss his allegations for legal reasons. The Premier League directed it to the FA.

More than four months after contacting the FA about his allegations, he was told in emails that it could take “no further action” as the alleged behavior did not breach its regulations.

He stated that there was “no evidence” to suggest that Player X “poses a risk of harm to children or adults at risk.” He sent her a PDF document titled ‘Child Safeguarding in Football Policy’, which did not apply to her.

“They hid behind their lack of policies knowing that the regulations they had put in place were meant to protect profits, not victims,” ​​Kira says.

In July 2024, Kira approached the club, the Premier League and the FA again and sent them evidence that she was a “vulnerable adult”.

In an email, seen by the BBC, the club told him they had passed his correspondence to the Premier League and the FA. The Premier League told him it could not discuss the allegations which are currently under police investigation. And the FA told him it could not share any details or updates on whether any FA intervention had been taken.

“In addition, we refer to our email… where we explain that we are not the individual’s employer,” he added.

Speaking about the response, Kira told the BBC that her correspondence has “reinforced a devastating message that I don’t matter, more women coming forward doesn’t matter, and that even when you meet shielding requirements it will never matter.”

Another woman, Mia, says she believes that if the FA and the club had acted when they were first alerted to a rape allegation in 2021, she would not have later gone to Player X’s home, where she alleges he sexually assaulted her. .

“If they had decided to take the first allegation seriously… if they had suspended him, I would never have been in the situation I was in that day,” he told the BBC.

“His decision made me suffer,” he said.

While the FA has detailed policies for players accused of in-game betting, nothing similar exists for players accused of sexual or domestic violence that occurs beyond the football environment.

Clubs’ responses to players and prominent figures under police investigation for such crimes are varied: some choose to suspend and others do not.

Some lawyers in the UK have noted the many legal difficulties football clubs face when considering how to deal with a player facing allegations of sexual or domestic violence, with no general rules in place.

This month, Benjamin Mendy successfully sued Manchester City for unpaid wages during his suspension, after he was accused of rape and sexual assault in 2021 and later found not guilty of all charges.

A Met spokesperson said: “Met officers are investigating following a series of reports of alleged sexual offenses between 2021 and 2023.

“A man in his 30s was arrested in July 2022. He has since been questioned by police on two further occasions while under caution.

“The investigation is ongoing and detectives are continuing with in-depth and detailed investigations. “Those who have gone to the police continue to receive support from Met officers.”

The footballer’s club and the Premier League told us they could not comment on an ongoing police investigation.

An FA spokesperson added: “Our safeguarding policies and procedures enable us to support and protect children and adults at risk within a football-related environment.”

“Regardless of where the incident took place, if the individual has a role within football, we always carry out a thorough safeguarding risk assessment and take appropriate action if we believe there is a risk of harm to children. No We can comment on specific cases, but that does not mean that we have not taken the necessary measures or applied the appropriate safeguards within our jurisdiction.