English Soccer’s Governing Body Launches Child Sexual Abuse Inquiry – Huffington Post

SAFETY PROCEDURES

The FA said last week that criminal record checks were required for all individuals working with children and more than 35,000 people went through an awareness workshop or tailored training every season.

On Sunday the FA said that the Child Protection in Sport Unit, which has assisted the association with its safeguarding procedures since 2000, will also carry out an independent audit of the FA’s current practices.

A statement from Cheshire police in northwest England said that allegations had been made against “more than one individual” in relation to past abuse of young footballers. London’s Metropolitan Police said on Friday that it had received information relating to “non-recent sexual abuse in soccer clubs in London”. Police in Hampshire also said they were investigating a case of child sex abuse within soccer.

Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), said on Friday that the sport had to respond to the allegations. “The police need to be at the vanguard of investigations, because these are criminal acts, but soccer has a duty of care and must also grasp the nettle and take responsibility,” he said in a telephone interview with Reuters.