FA withdrew funding for study to protect children
THE English FA’s inquiry into historic child sex abuse is studying possible links between several high-profile alleged paedophiles, as Sportsmail today reveals that serial abusers Barry Bennell and Frank Roper coached a team together and took boys away on trips.
Bennell will be sentenced tomorrow on 50 counts of sexual abuse, while Roper, the deceased coach who abused Paul Stewart, has at least 31 more criminal allegations against his name. The pair are said to have organised matches against teams run by former Chelsea scout Eddie Heath, another alleged abuser.
Clive Sheldon QC, who is carrying out a comprehensive inquiry to scrutinise the role of clubs and the FA, is investigating whether a paedophile ring existed and the level of collusion between abusers.
Andy Woodward, the first player to come forward in late 2016, is convinced a paedophile ring existed: ‘Definitely there was a network,’ he said. ‘There was Roper and there were others.’
It has also emerged that the FA pulled funding of its ground-breaking study into child welfare in the game 15 years ago, before it had time to properly assess how effective its policies had been.
The study, set up by former chief executive Adam Crozier in 2001 and which commissioned expert Professor Celia Brackenridge, was axed in 2003 amid a round of governing body budget cuts.