Club statement regarding Barry Bennell's conviction

I would say that ALL football clubs should now be setting up internal enquiries, no way is this an isolated incident .
 
squirtyflower said:
Errr, maybe because he'd been convicted in the States and there were no complaints at that time to research in the UK, but don't let facts get in the way.
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Errr, why should the fact his conviction took place in the US eliminate the need for City to look into this? The victim was British and reported the incident here. Does it not count if it happens in another country? The UK police were looking at it in the nineties, the original Dispatches programme was broadcast in Jan 1997, Ian Ackley gave an interview to The Times in 1996 where he disclosed he'd been repeatedly raped by Bennell. But yeah, don't let facts get in the way.
 
west didsblue said:
That solicitor is representing some of the abused players and he’s trying to maximise any potential payout by casting aspersions on City’s investigation and current motives. It seems clear from outside that the club is doing everything it can to get to the bottom of what went on but it’s not in that solicitor’s interest to admit that.
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Exactly, there are people swirling around the Bennell case who are not looking for the truth, they're looking for the money.
 
carlosthejackal said:
I would say that ALL football clubs should now be setting up internal enquiries, no way is this an isolated incident .
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A purely internal inquiry is not sufficient. It needs to include external investigators to avoid any suspicion of a cover up, which is why our club are using a QC with a reputation to uphold.
 
Is it possible much of the documented evidence will have been lost? Not deliberately destroyed to hamper the investigation but simply because it was no longer relevant.
Bennell's links to the club were severed many years ago and it's possible many links to local junior teams were also severed once the club could run teams for players under 14.
A lot of paperwork could have been deemed surplus to requirements when we moved to The Etihad and the CFA.
Even if there was a requirement to keep documents for a certain period of time, that time is likely to have elapsed prior to Bennell's US conviction being made public.
And if Bennell's association with the club was as loose as some suggest it may never have been documented at all, though I'd expect any financial transactions to be recorded.
 
lancs blue said:
6 years is the minimum requirement.
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That's a tax/financial returns requirement only as far as I know. I would have thought with an unlimited statute of limitations on sexual crimes that (these days at least) documentation relating to children and safeguarding would have to be held until all parties concerned were deceased. It's quite possible that wasn't the case in the 70s/80s/90s though.
 
East Level 2 said:
Is it possible much of the documented evidence will have been lost? Not deliberately destroyed to hamper the investigation but simply because it was no longer relevant.
Bennell's links to the club were severed many years ago and it's possible many links to local junior teams were also severed once the club could run teams for players under 14.
A lot of paperwork could have been deemed surplus to requirements when we moved to The Etihad and the CFA.
Even if there was a requirement to keep documents for a certain period of time, that time is likely to have elapsed prior to Bennell's US conviction being made public.
And if Bennell's association with the club was as loose as some suggest it may never have been documented at all, though I'd expect any financial transactions to be recorded.
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Martin Samuels has said as much in his article, a lot of the paperwork seems to have been lost or destroyed in the moves both of training grounds and of stadia.
 
It saddens me immensely as to how the hell this was allowed to happened, not only at our football club but it probably being a nationwide scandal.
 
aguero93:20 said:
That's a tax/financial returns requirement only as far as I know. I would have thought with an unlimited statute of limitations on sexual crimes that (these days at least) documentation relating to children and safeguarding would have to be held until all parties concerned were deceased. It's quite possible that wasn't the case in the 70s/80s/90s though.
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These days yes - then, I very much doubt that there would have been much if any legal requirement re documentation over and above the 6 year period for accounting and financial records. Coordinated child protection legislation was very limited until the late 80s and 90s, Even basic nationwide CRB/DBS checks weren't introduced until the turn of the century.
 
gordondaviesmoustache said:
With Swales at the helm? Really?
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Spot-on. This scandal happened under the regime of Swales. It was a disastrous period for the club and sometimes I think we will never shake off the impact of the damage that was caused to all aspects of our business during this period. I am pleased that at least our modern day owners are trying to get a grip of the situation. It may have happened decades ago but City must face up to our responsibilities to those affected by this scumbag Bennell.
 
Seems to me that City’s approach is a case study in how to handle an incredibly difficult situation appropriately, sensitively and fairly. Crewe’s approach seems to be a case study in how not to handle it.

Having been at Crewe for a period in the early ‘90s I have my own views on the situation as it pertains to Crewe, which I won’t share here. Suffice to say that the contrast between their defensiveness and City’s openness may be a reflection of the eventual outcome for each club.
 
Pablo ZZZ Peroni said:
Ollie Holt agrees with you about Crewe:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5404321/How-regime-charge-Crewe.html
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You do get the impression that Crewe are maybe hoping that this will become a 'football' problem and their part in it will become wrapped up in a far wider investigation. They clearly don't have the financial resources of City but at the moment they don't look as though they're even trying to address what happened in any way and haven't even had the decency to express any sympathy for the victims.
 
Alarm bells should have been ringing when that monster started inviting boys to stay over at his house. I saw the interview with Mark Hazeldine's mother who said she was surprised when she learnt that just her son was going alone to Spain with Bennell but she still allowed him to go. He must have been one persuasive manipulator to convince her that was all normal and above board.
 
Bozzie said:
You do get the impression that Crewe are maybe hoping that this will become a 'football' problem and their part in it will become wrapped up in a far wider investigation. They clearly don't have the financial resources of City but at the moment they don't look as though they're even trying to address what happened in any way and haven't even had the decency to express any sympathy for the victims.
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Tbf they did put out a statement on their website though I agree they have a lot of explaining to do.

https://www.crewealex.net/news/2018/february/club-statement-barry-bennell/
 
After reading Marrtin Samuals article, i did some research and it is pretty clear that the riggourous investigation by the club will put the rest of the League to shame. Hopefully those abused will be offered long standing professional support and where appropriate no-fault compensation. Long standing support is the most important thing though in such cases.
 
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