Sexual abuse of young players | Bennell gets 31 years (expected to serve 15) | Dead

Statement realeased by Crewe Alex,

Crewe Alexandra Football Club appreciate that concern has been expressed about the delay in the club making any comment to recent media coverage.

When things come out of the blue like this, you first want to make inquiries and reflect from within. That is the process we started last week.

We are a proud football club and would always take any allegation seriously. Any form of abuse has no place in football or society.

We have already concurred with the statements made by the Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League that described Andy Woodward's ordeal as 'heart breaking' and praised him for his 'immense courage'.

– JOHN BOWLER STATEMENT

http://www.itv.com/news/2016-11-22/crewe-alexandra-to-investigate-alleged-sexual-abuse-allegations/

I'm from Crewe and there's always been rumors about Bennell's abouse!
 
Atze-Peng said:
You haven't really followed the Jimmy Saville or Rotherham case, right? Or in the case of football - there would be the Manfred Amerell case in Germany.

I am not surprised the least that something like this is happening.
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Oh I know it happens, I just can't get my head around people looking the other way whilst a child is being abused.
 
top1whoisman said:
Tweet deleted, what did it say?
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Hopefully this isn't just the tip of the iceberg, like in the entertainment world, where seemingly the vast majority of a certain era in a certain industry were doing bad things!
 
That was fecking awful from Red Issue. I know they spout fairly partisan rubbish, but that really crossed the line.

Not going to read everything, the headlines are awful enough as it is.
 
How could any club turn the blind eye on this? What could Bernell possibly have done to board/directors, that made them careless about such a serious matter?
 
Could be as big as the Saville case

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38093957

Paul Stewart: Football sex abuse victims 'could number hundreds'

"Hundreds" of children may have been sexually abused by figures within football, former England and Tottenham player Paul Stewart has told the BBC.

Mr Stewart, who says he was abused by a coach for four years as a child, said the sport could face allegations on the scale of the Jimmy Savile scandal.

It comes as the NSPCC said more than 50 people had rung an abuse helpline within two hours of it being set up.

It was launched after four footballers spoke about being abused as children.

Former Crewe players Andy Woodward and Steve Walters, ex-Manchester City player David White, as well as Mr Stewart have all spoken out about abuse in the game.

Mr Stewart, 52, a former England international who started his career at Blackpool and also played for Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Liverpool, first told the Daily Mirror an unnamed coach abused him daily for four years up to the age of 15.
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I fear we are only seeing the start of it.

It must have taken some resolve from Paul Stewart and David White to carve out decent careers, despite the horrible ordeal they encountered.
 
There is simply no way that someone in a position of authority didn't know about this.

Most likely scenario is that the signs a were all there but they chose to ignore it.That's just as sickening as the original crime imo. Surely that is some obstruction of justice and such individuals should be prosecuted too.
 
Jazz said:
Oh I know it happens, I just can't get my head around people looking the other way whilst a child is being abused.
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I've kind of wondered if it was a case of not wanting to believe it?
Or just not believing it'd happen to ... well not you but ... y'know.

Just cant understand how else it could happen.
People saying there were rumours for years about it - did no one in a position of authority think to look into it? Or did the rumours just not reach them?
 
I worry that at some point during this, we're going to get on to the treatment of youth team players (later teens, not kids) and find that sexual abuse in the name of 'horseplay' was systemic.
 
Sadly, with hindsight, there's an air of inevitability to all this. Groups of impressionable young lads with stars in their eyes, kept quiet by the machismo culture.

Hopefully a few heads roll. They should have been protected.
 
Pexbo said:
Sadly, with hindsight, there's an air of inevitability to all this. Groups of impressionable young lads with stars in their eyes, kept quiet by the machismo culture.

Hopefully a few heads roll. They should have been protected.
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Agreed, I was shocked when I heard this, but on reflection, it was very likely that this kind of thing would happen.
Massive props to the victims stepping forward now, like you said, they should have been protected.
 
WhoDaGOAT said:
This is one of the few good aspects of modern times. Mental health issues are now discussed, being gay is normal, and speaking out is now encouraged and supported.

Savile was very lucky that he died before he was exposed.
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Unless hell is real, I suppose. Saville and scum like him deserve to be exposed, I hope this starts a tidal wave against abusers.
 
Football sex abuse claims: More former players speak out

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38093421

This was a difficult read, Chris Unsworth says he was raped up to 100 times which is gut wrenching if true.

Football sex abuse claims: What's happened so far?

http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/38090926

This growing into a dark cloud over football, I don't know who would take charge of an investigation into this but I hope at the very least justice can be served.
 
The players that have spoken out deserve huge credit for taking that step, hell of a brave thing to do
 
People sexually abusing these young players deserve a bullet in the head. Disgusting.
 
As someone suggested earlier, we shouldn't be surprised this sickness was also in football.

Was never going to be the entertainment business alone.
 
Am ashamed of Red Issue, this stuff goes beyond football rivalries and hatreds.
 
Makes you wonder about the general promiscuity of footballers. Overcompensation?

Tip of the iceberg it seems. No way he would last that long without extensive cover-up.
 
This is just the tip of the ice berg. Did you know that Gary Speed and United's Alan Davies (both committed suicide) were also coached by Bennell?
 
Rams said:
This is just the tip of the ice berg. Did you know that Gary Speed and United's Alan Davies (both committed suicide) were also coached by Bennell?
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That's mental. Apparently they were pretty brutal rapes from what's been said.

All these cases with Saville, Jackson and now this makes you think as a parent that any man working with kids could well be suspect. I'm sure plenty aren't but you'd be screptical.
 
Regardless of your religious opinions I think we can all agree any grown man found involved in this should suffer long after death.

Absolutely disgusting and shameful. Even more shameful are any adults who had heard rumors and never acted nor investigated.
 
WackyWengerWorld said:
That's mental. Apparently they were pretty brutal rapes from what's been said.

All these cases with Saville, Jackson and now this makes you think as a parent that any man working with kids could well be suspect. I'm sure plenty aren't but you'd be screptical.
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Wow.
 
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