Parents speak out on ‘bully’ Bellamy

THE parents of a Cardiff City academy player removed their son from the club in 2017 because of alleged bullying by Craig Bellamy and say they called for the coach to be investigated. David Madden, who played for Crystal Palace in the 1990 FA Cup final, and his wife Debby took the decision to withdraw their son Alfie, then 17, after a formal meeting with Bellamy and Cardiff academy manager James McCarthy left them deeply concerned for his welfare. Sportsmail revealed yesterday that ex-Wales captain Bellamy has been accused of bullying and intimidating a young English player with xenophobic behaviour in his role as Under 18s head coach. But now, in correspondence seen by Sportsmail and sent to the club in September 2017, we can reveal the parents of London-born Madden claimed he was being singled out by Bellamy. David, 55, told Sportsmail: ‘It was a terrible thing to see your 17-year-old son go through. It was heartbreaking for us. ‘Straight after the meeting (with Bellamy), we went to his digs, got his stuff and came home. ‘He was just desperately unhappy, and he’s a happy sort of boy. It was a relief on that journey home,’ he added. Madden’s parents say the meeting with Bellamy to discuss their concerns was the final straw. ‘Bellamy swore during the meeting. He was kicking his chair and slumped in it as if he wasn’t interested. He was like a spoilt kid. ‘We then took what was an awful decision to make to remove him from the academy in his second year. It was all down to Bellamy.’