‘Ordeal’ of soccer rapist is just like Hillsborough
Union chief’s claim as Evans says sorry for ‘effects of that night’
THE plight of Ched Evans is similar to that of the families of the Hillsborough victims, the head of the Professional Footballers’ Association claimed last night.
Gordon Taylor said that just as with the 1989 disaster in which 96 Liverpool fans were crushed to death, a different story may eventually emerge.
The chief executive of the PFA told BBC 5Live: ‘He wouldn’t be the first person or persons to be found guilty and maintain their innocence and then been proven right.’
He added: ‘If we’re talking about things in football we know what happened, what was alleged to have happened at Hillsborough and it’s now unravelling and we’re finding it was very different to how it was portrayed at the time, indeed by the police at the time.’
An inquiry into the disaster found that some police officers took part in a systematic smear operation against the fans.
Mr Taylor’s controversial remarks came on the day Oldham Athletic pulled out of a deal to sign Evans amid threats of reprisals.
The footballer blamed ‘mob rule’ for scuppering the deal, and claimed his silence had been ‘misinterpreted as arrogance’. And he did finally apologise to ‘the woman concerned’ – but continued to maintain his innocence.
Meanwhile, David Cameron waded into the debate, saying he would not take his son to see a rapist play football.
Evans had been on the brink of joining the League One club, but it performed a U-turn after ‘enormous pressure from sponsors and threats to staff and their families’.
An unnamed director at the club was allegedly told his own daughter would be raped if the former Welsh international was allowed to play.
That echoed the rape threats made to Chloe Madeley after her mother Judy Finnigan said days before Evans’ release that he had ‘done no real damage’ to his victim.
He was released from prison last October half way through a fiveyear sentence for raping a 19-yearold woman in a North Wales hotel.
As his latest route back into foot- ball was blocked, the striker showed the first signs of contrition.
In a statement issued through the PFA Evans, who still plans to appeal his conviction, said he ‘wholeheartedly apologised for the effects that night in Rhyl has had on many people, not least the woman concerned’.
He also distanced himself from internet trolls who have named his victim online, forcing her to take on several new identities. He added: ‘I condemn their actions entirely.’ On the collapse of the Oldham deal, he later added: ‘Sadly the “mob rule” tactics employed by the more radical elements of our society and the constant media reporting has had the desired influence.’
The PFA boss has previously said he believes Evans should be given the chance of rehabilitation and to ‘contribute to society’.