Chelsea were told of more abuse

Club also admits it failed to follow up other allegations

CHELSEA offered their ‘profuse’ apologies last night to former player Gary Johnson for the sustained sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of club scout Eddie Heath in the Seventies.

But in a 900-word statement released on the club website as the afternoon’s football programme was reaching a conclusion, the club also made a shock admission that multiple other allegations had been made to them in 2014 — and they did little to follow them up.

Chelsea also described as ‘inappropriate’ the fact that they insisted on what was, in effect, a gagging order being placed on Johnson when they gave him a secret £50,000 payoff in 2015 for the abuse he suffered.

Last night’s statement raises as many questions as it provides answers to a widening scandal in English football.

The Mail on Sunday can today reveal that another former Chelsea player abused as a teenager by Heath will attend a formal police interview on Tuesday, at the police’s request, to tell his story. That player’s story includes the allegation that Dario Gradi, the former manager of Crewe, was sent by Chelsea as one of their coaches to ask an alleged victim to withdraw a formal complaint about Heath.

A flood of new allegations continue to emerge, and a dedicated football sex abuse line established last month by UK children’s charity the NSPCC received 860 calls in the first week.