Pressure on FA to expand abuse inquiry

THE Offside Trust have echoed the calls of sexual abuse survivor Darcy Wells and her mother Donna by calling on the FA to expand their inquiry to include scrutiny of recent cases of sexual abuse in football. In yesterday’s Sportsmail, Darcy, 19, spoke courageously about the abuse she suffered under her Chelsea Foundation coach Shane Hughes as a 12-year-old. She explained how the ordeal damaged her childhood and drove her to several suicide attempts. In light of Darcy’s bravery,

Sportsmail understands that Clive Sheldon QC may, in his final report, recommend a second FA inquiry to scrutinise the safeguarding at football clubs since 2005. The current review, which is due to report later this year, is only looking at the period between 1970 and 2005. Darcy’s mother said that her daughter’s experience showed the FA inquiry was too narrow. Donna said: ‘Strip it down and my 12-year-old daughter suffered abuse in 2011 at a Premier League football club. There are grounds for that to be broadened. Darcy shows why.’ Chris Unsworth, director of the Offside Trust, supports the family’s view. ‘This latest sad case shines a light on some of the problems with the FA review,’ he said. ‘We have previously raised questions about the apparently arbitrary cut-off date of the inquiry. We know this is an ongoing problem and cannot be dismissed as being “historic”. ‘For many survivors of abuse, it can take decades to disclose the details of what has happened — this makes Darcy’s courage all the more exceptional, and places the onus on the FA to act immediately and extend the scope of the review. ‘We commend Darcy for her strength in telling such a painful story. It will help others to find the support they need. Her courage shines a light on the ongoing nature of child sexual abuse in football. If it can happen to such a young child at one of the biggest clubs in the world, we must accept the painful truth that we need to do much more to keep our children safe.’ The 2005 cut-off point was established as it correlated with the implementation of more stringent safeguarding rules in football. Unsworth and fellow survivor Steve Walters made contact with the family yesterday to offer support and organise a meeting. Darcy thanked Mail readers for their support, writing on Twitter: ‘Thank you to those across the globe for your kind words and well wishes. I hope I can help other young girls and women to come forward and let their voice be heard.’ The FA declined to comment while the inquiry is ongoing.