RACISM STORM HITS RIX Three ex-youth team players sue Chelsea over allegations of abuse
CHELSEA are being sued by three former youth- team players who claim they were the victims of physical and racial abuse in the 1990s.
The allegations have been made against former youth-team coaches Graham Rix and Gwyn Williams.
One player had a cup of hot coffee thrown in his face and a number of racist terms were used too, according to The Guardian.
Rix and Williams, who for more than two decades was a key figure at Stamford Bridge, denied the claims when they were investigated by the police. The case was dropped after seven months because of insufficient evidence.
The allegations surfaced 18 months ago with a complaint initially made to Chelsea. The players reportedly launched a civil claim against Chelsea in February, with the club notifying the FA and the police. So far the matter does not appear to have led to disciplinary action from the FA.
Lawyers for Rix and Williams denied the claims last night but a statement from Chelsea said: ‘We take allegations of this nature extremely seriously. We are absolutely determined to do the right thing, to fully support those affected, assist the authorities and support their investigations.’
Rix and Williams were prominent figures at the club prior to the arrival of Roman Abramovich as owner. The claims include that a ‘feral environment’ existed for black players in their youth team, with one allegation that they were treated ‘like a race of dogs’.
After a youth-team fixture in Spain, Rix reportedly humiliated a player in the showers using a racial stereotype, stating that ‘if his heart was as big as his c***, he would be a great player that ran more’. There was also said to be a reference to ‘chucking spears’.
The same player is said to have claimed that Williams once told him to ‘f*** off back to Africa’ and ‘sell drugs or rob old grannies’. And it is claimed Williams told him to ‘go and clean my office, Richard Pryor — shine my shoes’ and to ‘pick up your lip, it’s dragging on the floor’.
At one stage Williams was assistant manager to Claudio Ranieri. He left the club to join former chairman Ken Bates at Leeds United.
Williams was sacked as technical director by Leeds in July 2013 for emailing pornographic images of women to a female receptionist at the club. In 2015 he sought compensation of £250,000 in the High Court but a judge ruled he was rightly sacked.
In March 1999, Rix admitted two charges of unlawful sex with a 15-yearold girl and indecent assault and was sentenced to 12 months in prison. He was also placed on the sex offenders’ register for 10 years and yet was reinstated by Chelsea immediately after his release. He was appointed first-team coach.
Most recently he was the manager of AFC Portchester, whom he left last August.
In a statement on behalf of Rix and Williams, lawyer Eddie Johns said: ‘Our clients deny all and any allegations of racial or other abuse.
‘These allegations were the subject of a thorough investigation by specialist officers of the Metropolitan Police Service [who] did not consider there was sufficient evidence even to report it to the Crown Prosecution Service. Our clients co- operated with that investigation.
‘The allegations are contained in correspondence sent to Chelsea. That correspondence has not been seen by our clients or us. No correspondence has been sent to our clients or us by these individuals or those representing them. We will, of course, deal with any allegations if made directly to our clients. Our clients are co-operating fully with the FA.’