The Scottish Government is failing abuse victims

TRIBAL point-scoring over child abuse in football is not new. In Scotland, it’s a tasteless backdrop to a desperately sad subject. Figures from the National Police Chiefs Council yesterday revealed that the biggest crisis of trust to hit British football has now prompted 639 referrals to Operation Hydrant, the unit set up to investigate instances of historic sex abuse within institutions. There are 83 potential suspects under the microscope. And 98 football clubs — at all levels — have been referenced. All of this is only possible because of the bravery of the victims in speaking out. Many have suffered enough and public scrutiny is unlikely to assist their healing. But their courage tells us one thing. Paedophiles have, for decades, used football as a vehicle for their activities. A Trojan horse to target youngsters between the ages of seven and 20. It’s calculating, it’s devious, and evil beyond belief. Furthermore, it’s indiscriminate. These people don’t care where they target children. It could be one club in one city — or every club in every city. They ruin lives wherever and whenever they can. Yet, in Scotland, this stuff is seen as fair game for ‘banter’. For songs, banners and jibes at the expense of child exploitation and suffering. We fear that young players at some of our senior clubs have been targeted by abusers. The lack of transparency when their crimes came to light was, in some cases, shameful. Yet the exploitation of this to embarrass ‘the other lot’ doesn’t say a great deal for the accuser. Politicising the subject for the purposes of cheap points is equally tactless. However, in the face of the new abuse accusations in Scotland, it’s surely legitimate to ask why the Scottish Government is resistant to the idea of widening Lady Smith’s inquiry into institutional child abuse to include football clubs? The time for cover-ups and coats of white paint has gone. Scottish football can no longer brush this stuff under a carpet. Clubs have shown they can’t be trusted to investigate themselves. Frankly, it beggars belief that a government willing to bring in a named-persons scheme and jail supporters for singing sectarian songs at an SPFL match sees no need to take a close look at the serious, sustained abuse of vulnerable young footballers.