Former youth coach was ‘instigator’ of racist abuse at Chelsea FC
FORMER Chelsea youth team club coach Gwyn Williams was the instigator of racial abuse towards young black players at the club during the 1980s and 1990s, a report has found.
Racially abusive behaviour was a daily occurrence for some players, with monkey sounds and terms like “shoe shine” commonly heard.
The report describes players having Deep Heat rubbed on genitalia and Mr Williams telling one youth to “stop being a silly little coon”.
It was said the Welshman would also organise matches between black and white players.
Within the evidence there are accounts of Gwyn Williams regularly using terms like “n***ers”, “n*g n*gs”, “rubber lips”, “monkey”, “you black c**t”, “you n***er”, “you lazy black b***ard”, “little n*g n*g”, “little coon” and “darkie”.
On Tuesday, Chelsea FC’s board of directors published the external review of non-recent racial abuse allegations, with the report being carried out by Barnardo’s.
The review includes testimonies from former players who came forward to share their experiences at the club they attended as children. Most of the information gathered, including from former young players, relates to periods between 1982 and the late 1990s.
The review was commissioned by the club after various letters of claim were received by Chelsea on behalf of former players, alleging racial abuse during the 1980s and ‘90s.
Gwyn Williams joined Chelsea in 1980 as chief scout, before undertaking various roles – including manager of the club’s youth scheme, reserve team trainer and first-team assistant manager – until his departure from the club in 2006.
He is described in the report by former apprentices and young players “as the main person who ran the show”. One player said he was seen as a “guy that could decide your future”.
The report found he was the instigator of racially abusive behaviour towards black young people at Chelsea during the 1980s and ‘90s.
Graham Rix was appointed as youth team coach in 1993, before becoming first-team assistant coach from 1996-99, returning to that role later that year until leaving the club in 2000. Barnardo’s reviewers took the view that Mr Rix was not racially abusive.
Mr Williams and Mr Rix have previously strongly denied allegations they racially abused youth players.
Boys started playing with the club aged about 12 and would train until they were 15. If successful, they were offered apprenticeships aged 16.
The report says coaches were likened to drill sergeants. Descriptions were given repeatedly of Mr Williams humiliating and ridiculing young players, it added.
Derogatory comments were reportedly made to both black and white boys which might belittle them in some way. This general bullying behaviour, the report said, contributing to creating a culture in which racially abusive behaviour also could take place.
“Numerous examples were given during the interviews of [Mr Williams] humiliating and ridiculing black players by making racially derogatory remarks about them.
[Gwyn Williams] was described as often laughing when he made such remarks, reportedly behaving in a way which suggested he thought it was funny and acceptable for him to do so.”
The racially abusive behaviour towards many young players was described as normal and daily occurrence for some players, and the culture was “one where if you didn’t like the way things were, you could leave”.
Former players and staff told the review there was no help available for young players at that time, and there was no welfare or safeguarding lead to whom individual players could take their concerns.
Numerous examples were given of players, including players in over-18s teams, being allowed to behave in ways which would be regarded as bullying today. An example was given of one adult player throwing excrement on another when he was sleeping in a hotel.
Other examples were given of players putting heat cream into the boxer shorts of other youngsters, and an account was shared of how lights would be switched off before players were beaten up.
Allegations were made by one former member of staff that a youth player was made to put his feet in two buckets of ice and walk down the corridor naked by a first team player.
Another example was reported involving a black player being grabbed by 10 or 12 others and having Deep Heat rubbed all over him, including on his genitalia. The report says Mr Williams was alleged to have been present when this happened.
One former player described how the players had a “court” system, where the youth team captain would act as a judge and the rest of the youth team players would be a jury. The “court” could issue punishments. Forgetting socks, one example used, saw a sentence of “two minutes being beaten up in the boot room”. The report says Mr Williams was reportedly present when “court” took place.
A number of players told the review they recalled hearing Mr Williams make racially abusive remarks on their first day at the club. One recalled hearing Mr Williams “make monkey sounds towards another black player”, the report said.
Another recalled that Mr Williams’ first words to him on his first day at the age of 13 were “You alright, shoe shine?”.
On the second occasion he met Mr Williams, he is reported to have said: “That’s a nice new top. Have you been out robbing old grannies again with the rest of the darkies on your estate?” A third player recalled how at his first training session he was asked by Mr Williams: “Which team are you going to play for?”
The report says the former player explained to reviewers the context in which he had been asked this question – he was of mixed-race heritage and Mr Williams regularly organised games involving black players playing against white players.
The report details how some of those interviewed suggested Mr Williams may have been preparing black players for racism on the pitch, with the understanding portrayed by him being “you will get this language anyway and if you can’t deal with it, you’re never going to make it”. The report says “the use of racially offensive remarks was described as something Gwyn Williams just did and was referred to as part of his day-to-day language”.
Some of the former players interviewed indicated they could not say if Mr Williams exhibited racially abusive behaviour. They, the report says, queried whether it was “just his sense of humour”.
Some of those interviewed felt unable to say whether his behaviour was racially abusive or merely bad judgement on his part “about either trying to get laughs” or his way of trying to “get an extra 10% out of people”. Others, the report says, were clearly of the opinion it had been racially abusive and harmful to them.
One player described how the treatment left him feeling “worthless, inferior, second-rate, degraded”. Some players left of their own choice after being offered apprenticeships
or professional contracts. Some described not wanting to have anything to do with football again.
Numerous reasons were given for not reporting what had happened at the time, including fearing the possible response from family and the distress it would cause. Comments were also made which suggested “young players would also have been scared that speaking up would put an end to their engagement with the club and possibly their football career”.
In terms of former staff, the report says mixed accounts were given, including some who recalled Mr Williams making racially abusive remarks and some who did not.
The report found there was “substantial evidence from many people” that young black players were subjected to derogatory racial remarks from Mr Williams on a routine basis.
The report says: “Barnardo’s reviewers take the view that, whilst it appears that Graham Rix could be aggressive and bullying, on the evidence presented to them, he was not racially abusive. In the view of the reviewers the same cannot be said of Gwyn Williams.
“The evidence strongly indicates to the reviewers that there was racially abusive behaviour towards black young people at Chelsea Football Club during the 1980s and 1990s and that, based on information from those spoken to, [Gwyn Williams] was the instigator of such abuse.
“The report acknowledges there are extensive differences between the culture at the club’s Academy today and the former culture outlined in the report.
“Those working in the Academy make it their business to create opportunities for players to speak out and ensure players are informed they can speak to anyone, not just their coach.”
The report adds: “The club has established a culture in which racism is not acceptable, and its approach to combating racism is through an overall, allyear-round culture which celebrates diversity and at the same time reinforces the need to guard and act against racist or other discriminatory behaviour when it is encountered.”
The report acknowledges the club “wanted to ensure that racial abuse against young players could never happen again”, was “committed to learning lessons from past cases to help inform current procedures”, and wished to share its findings with the FA, Premier League, Kick It Out, two local authorities and Surrey and Metropolitan police forces.
In a detailed response from July 31, Mr Williams said “he did not act in a racist way towards any youth or other player whilst he was an employee of CFC. He denies that he is a racist. Further, he denies having ever physically assaulted any individual”.
Mr Rix, through his solicitor, said that he “denies that he was bullying and or aggressive. He denies that he was (or is) a racist”. Mr Rix also denied he contributed in any way to the creation of “an atmosphere in which racial abuse would be tolerated”.
Eddie Johns, solicitor for both Mr Williams and Mr Rix, said there was no comment from either men in response to the report’s findings when contacted by the Western Mail.