FA ‘institutional failings’ allowed child sex abuse to continue for years, review finds

‘This was an institutional failing by the FA, for which there is no excuse,’ says report

Former coach Barry Bennell (PA)

The Football Association could and should have done more to keep children safe from sexual predators, a major report into historical abuse in the sport has found.

The independent review into historical abuse, led by Clive Sheldon QC, found that “significant institutional failings” by the FA meant children hadn’t been properly protected for a period of five years.

English football’s governing body should have done more to keep children safe following high-profile convictions of child sexual abusers in the summer of 1995 until May 2000, it said.

“In that period, the FA did not do enough to keep children safe,” the review stated. “This was an institutional failing by the FA, for which there is no excuse.”

It added: “The FA acted far too slowly to introduce appropriate and sufficient child protection measures, and to ensure that safeguarding was taken sufficiently seriously by those involved in the game.”

The FA issued an apology to all of the survivors of sexual abuse, and said it “fully supported and accepted” the findings of the Sheldon review published on Wednesday.

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“I’d like to start by giving a heartfelt apology on behalf of the Football Association and the English game to all survivors, that this happened to you within football. No child should ever have experienced the abuse you did,” said chief executive Mark Bullingham.

The 710-page review, which looked at historical sexual abuse between 1970 and 2005, was published on Wednesday. It found that “mistakes were still made” by the FA even after a child protection policy and programme was launched in May 2000.

The FA was also strongly condemned for failing to ban, Barry Bennell and Bob Higgins, two of the most notorious perpetrators of child sexual abuse.

Bennell, the former coach at Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City coach, is serving a 34-year sentence, having been convicted in 2018 of sexual abuse against 22 boys in total.

The Sheldon review found the FA acted “far too slowly” to set up its safeguarding policy in 1995, after Bennell had first been convicted of sexual assault and lewd behaviour in the US in 1994.

The review also found that the governing body should have taken steps to seek to prevent Bennell from involving himself any further in football following his release from prison in 2003. “The failure to do so allowed children to be put at potential risk.”

Former Southampton coach Higgins is serving a 24-year prison sentence following his 2019 conviction on 45 counts of indecent assault. The review found that the FA should have reviewed Higgins’ case in 2003 to consider earlier allegations which the body was aware of from Higgins’ time at Southampton FC.

Ian Ackley, survivor of abuse by Bennell (PA)

Ian Ackley, who was abused hundreds of times by Bennell between 1979 and 1983, said a more joined-up approach today should not lead to complacency that abuse on a huge scale could never happen again.

“If anyone is naive enough to believe that the days are gone that any group of people can manipulate another group of people to the same degree that has happened, then we’re in trouble,” said Mr Ackley, who now works as a survivor support advocate.

“It’s a little disappointing that there aren’t more specific recommendations,” he told the PA news agency on Wednesday.

“If I was to describe it loosely, it’s probably as dilute as Vimto for a two-year-old. He [Sheldon] could have been far more punchy and far braver. I get why he has taken the line he has, and it’s generally positive and it gives us that foundation to springboard forward from.”

For much of the 25-year period looked at by the Sheldon review, there was no guidance provided to those working within football on child protection, and it found club staff and officials were generally unaware of the issues issues.

Sheldon also catalogued failings by eight clubs, including Southampton and Manchester City, to act on concerns about eight perpetrators of male sexual abuse in the sport.

The QC concluded that where clubs knew about abuse their responses were too slow, or inappropriate.

Ex-youth coach Bob Higgins outside court in 2018 (PA)

Manchester City, Crewe and Stoke were all aware of rumours concerning Bennell but did not act, Sheldon found. The report concludes it is “likely” that Crewe directors discussed him and that a senior police officer advised the club to take a “watching brief” over Bennell – advice that was not heeded.

Southampton and Peterborough were aware of reports of inappropriate behaviour by Higgins, and were aware that boys were staying at his home, according to the report.

The Sheldon review made 13 recommendations in all – including the appointment of a safeguarding champion to the FA board members to be nominated as a safeguarding champion.

The QC recommended that safeguarding officers be employed at all 92 Premier League and EFL clubs. He also suggested an annual review of safeguarding practices at grassroots clubs, and the publication of an annual safeguarding report.

“I very much hope that this report will be read carefully by all persons involved in administering the game of football today, including the FA and the clubs who were associated with perpetrators of abuse,” said Clive Sheldon QC.

“As well as recognising and facing up to what happened in the past, it is also important that this terrible history is not repeated, and that everything possible is done now to safeguard the current and future generations of young players. I hope that this report will make some contribution towards that.”

The FA said steps were already underway to implement the review’s recommendations as part of the governing body’s “wider safeguarding strategy”.