The football Association has opened a safeguarding investigation into the boss of a Premier League club, a year after a BBC investigation.
The investigation concluded that, although three women reported the man to the police for alleged sexual crimes, he remained in his position at the club.
One of the women told the BBC that the FA had failed to protect women and girls by taking no action, even though she was under 16 at the time of the alleged incident.
Following reports from sports news publication The Athletic, the BBC has received confirmation that the FA has opened its own investigation following the police decision to take no further action.
A spokesperson for the national governing body said it does not comment on individual cases, but that it has “robust safeguarding measures” in place.
In an email from late October, seen by the BBC, the FA invited one of the complainants, who we call Kate, to a meeting to discuss her experiences as part of their safeguarding investigation. The FA added that it will not be able to share with her any details of its investigations, including the outcome achieved once completed.
Kate first contacted the FA in July 2023, where she told them that she had reported the man to the police over a historical rape which she claims occurred when she was 15 years old. However, he believes the FA has done nothing so far.
“The football authorities and [the] “The government appears to have turned a blind eye and a deaf ear and decided to say or do nothing to protect women from the threats it poses to girls and women,” she told the BBC in reaction to news of an investigation into the FA.
While Kate is pleased the investigation has been opened, she says she is seriously concerned about the lack of transparency about the action taken. “We need guarantees that all the women in the club are safe,” he adds.
The chief was also investigated in 2021 following an accusation that he sexually abused another 15-year-old girl in the 1990s. No further action was taken in that case because the legislation established that if a crime of “sexual relations” was committed “illegal acts” between 1956 and 2004, and the alleged victim was a girl between 13 and 15 years old, she had to file a complaint within a year.
The BBC spoke to a third woman, who says that in the late 1990s the boss locked her in a room while trying to force her into sexual activity. She says this happened during a job interview when she was in her early 20s.
The police have abandoned all three investigations.
In November last year, the BBC found that seven in 20 Premier League clubs had players or bosses investigated by police for sexual offenses since 2020.
The FA regulations only cover 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.
Their policies allow the governing body to impose an interim suspension order that blocks the individual from any or all in-game activity while the investigation continues.
Such an order can be imposed where the FA receives information that causes it to “reasonably believe that a person poses or may pose a risk of harm”.
The new investigation will be led by the FA’s director of professional game protection.
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 appropriate, may impose proportionate protective measures in accordance with the protection of the FA”. regulations.”
