Rangers FC says sorry to abuse victims

RANGERS Football Club has apologised to anyone personally affected after a report into allegations of abuse within the sport was published.

The Scottish Football Association (SFA) last month released the final document of a review commissioned at the end of 2016 following an ‘unprecedented’ number of allegations of non-recent sexual abuse in the sport.

Survivors of the abuse, mainly said to have occurred between the 1970s and early 1990s, described in the report how they had been raped and sexually assaulted.

Rangers said it had taken some time to consider the review’s findings and recommendations, and added it is time for Scottish football to learn from, and take responsibility for, mistakes made.

The club said: ‘We are firmly committed to ensuring openness and transparency in relation to this issue and agree on the uninterrupted ethical obligation of clubs over time, irrespective of changes.

‘We express our sincere sympathy to all individuals who have suffered abuse within the Scottish game and commend the bravery of all survivors who have come forward.’

In the report a number of men told how they were abused by a coach, referred to as D, who worked at Hutchison Vale Football Club and later at Hibernian and Rangers. He died in 2014.

Rangers FC said: ‘With regard to the specific instances referred to, as the report states, these concerned one former employee.

‘The report accepts that when former senior managers were provided with a direct allegation, this was taken seriously and dealt with promptly.

‘The report commends the action taken and acknowledges Rangers have previously said publicly the matter was reported to the police.

‘Today, Rangers is at the forefront of child safety and wellbeing in football. It is a moral obligation to ensure Scottish football is beyond reproach and all safeguarding measures are strictly adhered to.

‘We agree that it is time for all of Scottish football to learn from and take responsibility for mistakes made in the past. We fully acknowledge the impact of these events and the enduring effect on individual lives.

‘We apologise to anyone personally affected by abuse within Scottish football.’

The review found that most of the young people who experienced sexual abuse did not report it to anyone, and in the majority of cases no one in Scottish football knew about it.

However, it said this does not necessarily mean there was no ‘level of suspicion’ among some in the game.

And it said it would be a ‘grave mistake’ to believe sexual abuse in football is a ‘historical’ issue.