Le Tisser breaks his silence Motsepe to fork over youth coach ‘massage’ out for the fans
FORMER England and Southampton star Matt le Tissier became the highest profile former footballer to make accusations of inappropriate behaviour telling the BBC he received a “naked massage” from former Saints youth coach Bob Higgins.
Higgins, who is still alive unlike several other former coaches who have been subject to a slew of allegations of abuse over the past fortnight, was acquitted of sexual abuse charges in 1992.
But he was linked to abuse again in a 1997 Channel Four documentary while the Football League, police and social services had warned as early as 1989 he was a danger to children.
He has in the past week been accused by several former Southampton players and the club’s former manager Harry Redknapp, who was not in charge at the time Higgins was there, criticised the Football Association (FA) for not banning him.
The FA have launched their own internal review into whether their body had been made aware of these allegations at the time – as the scandal has been labelled the biggest crisis in English football.
At present, 20 police forces are holding their own investigations after being contacted by former players and a source told The Observer at the weekend the allegations concern 55 professional and non-league clubs.
In other developments, The Daily Telegraph reported the late Chris Gieler has been accused of abuse of apprentices and schoolboys at London club Queens Park Rangers over three decades when he was their youth development officer.
Athletics too came into the spotlight as a former aspiring athlete Roy Messenger, 55, went public in The Daily Telegraph and said he had been raped 50 times between the ages of nine and 12 by the man known as Oxford’s “Mr Athletics” Aubrey Harris. Harris died in the ’80s. Le Tissier, one of the most naturally talented footballers of his generation winning 21 England caps, broke his silence saying he had received a massage in which “everyone was kind of naked” and said Higgins’s behaviour had made him feel uncomfortable.
“It’s very, very wrong,” the 48-year-old told the BBC.
“You kind of look back and think that it was wrong but, as a young boy, you kind of saw everybody else doing it and you thought, ‘ Oh right. Is this normal?’
“Looking back, it’s I think.”
Le Tissier, who would have won more England caps but for question marks over his work-rate, said he hoped the courage shown by those who have gone public now and made the accusations, will result in justice being served.
Redknapp, one of the most respected managers in the sport and who on several occasions was linked with the England post, said he was astonished Higgins had remained in the game after the 1997 documentary revealed the extent of his abuse.
“I certainly think the FA could have done a bit more to monitor him and make sure he wasn’t allowed back into football,” Redknapp told the BBC. — AFP really disgusting, MAMELODI Sundowns will take 60 of their supporters to Japan to support the team in the Club World Cup.
As Downs did when the club took 150 fans to Alexandria in Egypt for the second leg of the Caf Champions League final against Zamalek in October‚ president Patrice Motsepe is footing the bill for airfares and accommodation of 60 supporters this time round.
Times Media estimates that the cost for the 150 fans to travel to Egypt to watch Sundowns lose 1-0 in the second leg of the Champions League final – for a 3-1 win on aggregate – was about R2.2-million‚ and for the 60 supporters to go to Japan will cost about R3-million.
African champions Sundowns arrived in Osaka on Tuesday night.
They play their opening quarterfinal there on Sunday against the winners of a playoff today between host club Kashima Antlers of Japan and New Zealand’s Auckland City‚ the Oceania champions.
Motsepe has been in a generous mood all year and after awarding the entire R10-million prize-money to the team after they won the PSL title in May‚ he also awarded them the entire Caf Champions League winnings, which totalled R20-million. — TMG Digital