Chairman suspended while claims are probed
Stirling Albion chairman Stuart Brown has been suspended while the club’s owners look at the way the sexual abuse allegations against youth coach Alexander Robertson were handled.
The Stirling Albion Supporters’Trust said it is arranging an“independent inquiry into the chronology of events”to determine why it was not “promptly informed”about the matter. Robertson, who is understood to have been a coach with the club’s under-14s boys section, was suspended by the club when the alleged offences came to light last year. At the time club officials notified and sought advice from the Scottish Football Association.
However, the Observer has been told that the trust, who own the club, were only made aware of the allegations and subsequent police investigation during a board meeting on Sunday afternoon.
The club then made news of the allegation against the coach, and Mr Brown’s suspension, public.
A spokesperson for the trust said:“It is important to make clear that there is no suggestion that either Mr Brown or any other club official has acted illegally or colluded in these alleged offences.
“We note that the club’s child protection policy was reviewed internally in August 2017 to the satisfaction of the youth department.
“However, SAST will now additionally arrange for a thorough independent review of all child protection protocols within the Stirling Albion football family.”