SM
Man City vs. Feyenoord: 15 hrs 36 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Collect News Data

Football Association 'far too slow' to implement proper child protection measures

:Headline: Football Association 'far too slow' to implement proper child protection measures:
The report by Clive Sheldon QC said the governing body was guilty of 'significant institutional failings'
Sports Mole

The Football Association was guilty of inexcusable "institutional failings" in delaying the implementation of child safeguarding measures between 1995 and the spring of 2000, an independent review of historical sexual abuse has concluded.

The review by Clive Sheldon QC said high-profile convictions – including one for serial abuser Barry Bennell in the United States in 1995 – should have served as the catalyst for change, but that it took another five years for the FA to put adequate processes in place.

"The FA acted far too slowly to introduce appropriate and sufficient child protection measures, and to ensure that safeguarding was taken sufficiently seriously by those involved in the game," the report stated.

“The FA acted far too slowly to introduce appropriate and sufficient child protection measures”
- The Sheldon Review

"These are significant institutional failings for which there is no excuse. During this period, the FA did not do enough to keep children safe."

There were failings even after 2000, the report said. It cited the fact that no measures were put in place to stop Bennell, who had worked as a youth coach affiliated to Manchester City, Crewe and Stoke, from returning to football after his release from prison in 2003. Even though the report found no evidence that he had returned to football, the FA's failure to monitor it "allowed children to be put at potential risk".

Bennell was sentenced to 31 years in prison in February 2018 for 50 counts of child abuse against 12 boys aged eight to 15 between 1979 and 1991. Judge Clement Goldstone QC described Bennell as "the devil incarnate". He was sentenced to a further four years last year.

The FA was also criticised for failing to look again at allegations against Southampton and Peterborough youth coach Bob Higgins when the standard of proof in disciplinary cases was lowered in 2003. Higgins was sentenced to 24 years in prison in 2019 after being found guilty of 46 counts of indecent assault against 24 people between 1971 and 1996.

Barry Bennell was described by one judge as 'the devil incarnate' (PA).

The review also looked at how the FA and individuals at clubs with links to suspected or convicted abusers dealt with reports of abuse. It stated that, in some cases, "clubs acted too slowly, or inappropriately" in response to such reports.

It highlighted numerous examples where clubs linked to abusers had heard rumours or received complaints about them and failed to handle them properly.

In all, the review said that data passed to it by Operation Hydrant in August 2020 had identified 240 suspects and 692 survivors.

Sheldon believes the actual number who were abused but had not come forward to report it was far higher, but concluded that abuse was "not commonplace" and that the "overwhelming majority" of children were able to engage with football safely.

The Sheldon Review was commissioned by the FA in 2016 after Andy Woodward (pictured) waived his anonymity to speak about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Bennell (Peter Byrne/PA).

The review makes 13 recommendations for the FA to improve safeguarding. These include a board member becoming a safeguarding champion, an annual review of safeguarding spot-checks that grassroots clubs can carry out and the employment of safeguarding officers at all 92 professional clubs – full time in the Premier League and Championship and part time in Leagues One and Two.

It also calls for an annual safeguarding review and a National Day of Safeguarding In Football.

Ian Ackley, a survivor of abuse at the hands of Bennell and who contributed to a 1996 Dispatches documentary about abuse in football, described the review as being as "dilute as Vimto for two-year-olds".

He also said that the FA's safeguarding processes should be monitored by an independent, external oversight agency.

The Sheldon Review was commissioned by the FA in 2016 in the wake of Andy Woodward waiving his anonymity to speak about the abuse he suffered at the hands of Bennell. The final report includes 20 survivors' testimonies of the abuse they suffered and the impact it had on their lives.

“As well as recognising and facing up to what happened in the past, it is also important that this terrible history is not repeated”
- Clive Sheldon QC

The FA is expected to formally respond to the review later on Wednesday afternoon.

Sheldon said: "I very much hope that this report will be read carefully by all persons involved in administering the game of football today, including the FA and the clubs who were associated with perpetrators of abuse.

"Understanding and acknowledging the appalling abuse suffered by young players in the period covered by the review is important for its own sake. Survivors deserve to be listened to, and their suffering deserves to be properly recognised.

"As well as recognising and facing up to what happened in the past, it is also important that this terrible history is not repeated, and that everything possible is done now to safeguard the current and future generations of young players. I hope that this report will make some contribution towards that."

body check tags ::

amp_article__439565 : Collect and Make Data not in DataBase  : 
last updated article - 2021-03-17 17:30:16:
html db last update - 2021-03-17 17:30:16 :

ex - 7200 : read : write cache and make html

Click here for more stories about Clive Sheldon

Share this article now:
FP
Read Next:
Football abuse survivor aiming to bring issue into the spotlight
>


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!
Read more about Clive Sheldon Barry Bennell Andy Woodward Ian Ackley Football
Follow @SportsMole for the latest breaking news stories, and follow @sm_headlines to get every headline from Sports Mole
Recommended Next on SM
Football abuse survivor aiming to bring issue into the spotlight
Steely Irons show their mettle to claim confidence-boosting win over Newcastle
Sergi-go: Spurs outcast to take drastic contract action in January?
Tottenham outcast 'hoping to terminate Spurs contract'

Page options

Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Liverpool1210112481631
2Manchester CityMan City127232217523
3Chelsea126422314922
4Arsenal126422112922
5Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton126422116522
6Tottenham HotspurSpurs1261527131419
7Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest125431513219
8Aston Villa125431919019
9Fulham125341717018
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle125341313018
11Brentford125252222017
12Manchester UnitedMan Utd124441313016
13Bournemouth124351617-115
14West Ham UnitedWest Ham124351519-415
15Everton122551017-711
16Leicester CityLeicester122461523-810
17Wolverhampton WanderersWolves122372028-89
18Ipswich TownIpswich121651323-109
19Crystal Palace121561017-78
20Southampton121110924-154
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.

history www

Will Leny Yoro be ready? Man United injury news vs. Bodo/Glimt

1

WL

Preview: Dinamo Zagreb vs. Dortmund - prediction, team news, lineups

2

PD

Picture Spoilers: Next week on Coronation Street (Dec 2-6)

3

PS

Preview: Aston Villa vs. Juventus - prediction, team news, lineups

4

PA

Arteta ends forgotten defender's 15-month Arsenal absence as injury woes worsen?

5

AE

Team News: Sporting Lisbon vs. Arsenal injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

6

TN

Team News: Barcelona vs. Brest injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

7

TN

Preview: PSV vs. Shakhtar - prediction, team news, lineups

8

PP

Six Reds, five Blancos: Sports Mole's Liverpool vs. Real Madrid Combined XI

9

SR

Team News: Man City vs. Feyenoord injury, suspension list, predicted XIs

10

TN


. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .