Ex-striker Johnson gets apology from Chelsea

Number of clubs involved in the scandal continues to increase

Chelsea Football Club has apologised “profusely” to former striker Gary Johnson over his treatment as a youth team player as the number of clubs embroiled in the child sex abuse scandal reportedly climbed to 55.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Chelsea said it was clear Mr Johnson had “suffered unacceptably” and that it had “no desire to hide any historic abuse we uncover from view”.

Questions about how much the FA knew about issues of abuse – and when – mounted last night with reports claiming the organisation was warned on at least two occasions in prior decades about potentially inappropriate conduct towards young players.

It was previously alleged Chelsea paid off Mr Johnson, who claimed he was abused by ex-coach Eddie Heath.

Mr Johnson, 57, said he was paid £50,000 not to go public with allegations he was sexually abused by its former chief scout in the 1970s.

In its statement, Chelsea said: “The decision to have a confidentiality clause in this case has been subject to significant scrutiny.”

It added: “In light of what we know now about the wide-scale abuse in football clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, it (the board) now believes that the use of such a clause, while understandable, was inappropriate in this instance.”

Mr Heath, who was the club’s chief scout from 1968 to 1979, died before the allegations were made.

Former youth player Russell Davy, 50, has claimed he wrote to the FA in 1986 detailing allegations, but said he never received a reply.

He waived his right to anonymity in the Sunday Mirror to say Mr Heath sexually abused him at Charlton Athletic Football Club when he was 15.

Earlier, former Chelsea star Alan Hudson, 65, also said it was “common knowledge” that Mr Heath “was a danger to us youngsters”.

The developments come as the number of professional and non-league clubs named in allegations passed to police investigating child sex abuse so far climbed to 55, the Observer reported.

Reports have also surfaced via BBC Radio 4’s Today suggesting a former employee of Southampton Football Club accused of abusing young players in the 1980s is still working in the game.

The programme said it understood he left Southampton after concerns were raised about his behaviour towards members of the club’s youth team and said their source was the fourth former player at the club who had come forward with allegations of abuse against the same man.