Paedophilia within the game/City launch redress scheme

[csit17]

I think we are right to announce the investigation, at the end of the day these are reports of a very serious criminal offence and as such we can't change the past but we can at least support those in the present. This is bigger than club colours, this is about getting justice for those wronged in the past. OK i accept it won't change much but hopefully it will go someway to giving those abused some clarity and closure.

 

[dario2739]

Now, reports are suggesting that there are large numbers of victims associated with clubs across the country and there are many abusers, not just one bad apple in the guy who's been named so far. If that's right and assuming City were guilty of turning a blind eye to Bennell in the way that Ian Ackley suggests, I'd strongly suspect that we were far from the only club taking that line, but that's no mitigation.

The heat is on us at the moment because there aren't many convicted abusers associated with football. What the media can say about other cases and other individuals is limited because they may result in police investigations and criminal proceedings down the line, while it's also potentially highly defamatory when the evidence at this stage probably amounts to one person's word against another's.

Bennell isn't going to sue for libel. He's a proven paedophile with multiple criminal convictions and doesn't have a reputation left to damage.

This will have been rife... not only in football, but in all kinds of youth clubs and associations where adults had access to kids... it'll be worse than Operation Yewtree!
Bennell has been convicted as a sex offender since these events happened, so he can be named and shamed by the press without fear of libel... but i'll bet there are a LOT of very worried people out there now, and that pretty much EVERY football league club is affected in some way. At the minute our name keeps getting brought up, but in the coming weeks it's a cert that all the top teams in England will be in the frame.

 

[gordondaviesmoustache]

I don't see an agenda in today's reporting. We're now a very high-profile club, a former England player who came up through our youth set-up is claiming he was abused by the coach of a City-affiliated boys' team, and we've announced that we feel the need to investigate our links to a convicted predatory paedophile. Of course in the context of the current revelations, that's major news and it's perfectly proper for the sports editors of national newspapers to go big with it.

I basically agree with the post of cheekybids above. First, we find out what's happened at our club in the past, to which end I think we've done the right thing by announcing an investigation even if it's led to some headlines this morning we might otherwise have avoided (for the time being at least). If there's been wrongdoing at our club in the past, we acknowledge it, assist the proper authorities where we can to ensure that justice is done under the criminal law, do anything else we reasonably can to make whatever amends are possible to the victims, and learn whatever lessons there are to be learned.

Unfortunately, we can't change what's been done in the past. What is within our control is whether handle ourselves professionally and honourably in the present, and we should make sure we do.

Very well said mate. Spot on.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Paul Stewart currently on 'This Morning' talking about the abuse he experienced......heart wrenching stuff,its very obvious this has been something that has been tearing him apart all these years - it must have been so difficult for him,and the other brave victims of such,to finally come forward and break their silence.

The man is a star,hopefully he can now get the help he needs and subsequently find some closure,

 

[red 2 hats]

Paul Stewart currently on 'This Morning' talking about the abuse he experienced......heart wrenching stuff,its very obvious this has been something that has been tearing him apart all these years - it must have been so difficult for him,and the other brave victims of such,to finally come forward and break their silence.

The man is a star,hopefully he can now get the help he needs and subsequently find some closure,

Just watching this myself, loved him as a player, to see a man who has held all this in for years breaking down in tears is truly gut wrenching, must be so difficult talking about it, good on you Paul and I hope whoever inflicted this on you gets strung up by the bollocks.

 

[Hart of the Matter]

I fully agree that times were different. And City do seem to have acted in relation to your coach. The allegation with Bennell seems to be that the club had, at the least, reasons to look into his behaviour, but didn't because we considered him someone who would channel gifted young footballers into our youth set up.

This comes from the story in today's Times, the comments being from a man who came forward 20 years ago to disclose that he'd been abused by Bennell:



Now, reports are suggesting that there are large numbers of victims associated with clubs across the country and there are many abusers, not just one bad apple in the guy who's been named so far. If that's right and assuming City were guilty of turning a blind eye to Bennell in the way that Ian Ackley suggests, I'd strongly suspect that we were far from the only club taking that line, but that's no mitigation.

The heat is on us at the moment because there aren't many convicted abusers associated with football. What the media can say about other cases and other individuals is limited because they may result in police investigations and criminal proceedings down the line, while it's also potentially highly defamatory when the evidence at this stage probably amounts to one person's word against another's.

Bennell isn't going to sue for libel. He's a proven paedophile with multiple criminal convictions and doesn't have a reputation left to damage.

EDIT - An unnamed ex-Newcastle player has contacted police to say he was abused by a convicted paedophile in the north east who was once a "highly respected coach in youth circles". Wonder if more if his victims will come forward: https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/nov/24/george-ormond?CMP=share_btn_tw

We will be the name attached to this. Not a football bias issue though. Look at Rotherham. The name attached to massive failures in safeguarding youngsters from grooming and exploitation. The truth is that could have been any number of local authorities. We have to suck it up and do the right thing. This issue is bigger than one clubs reputation. If our name makes it a bigger story with a more positive outcome so be it.

 

[petrusha]

Two more victims have come forward stating they were abused by Bennell and both were with him at, presumably, Whitehill (the BBC refers to "the Manchester City nursery team"): http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38093421

 

[aguero93:20]

We aren't scousers if our club is at fault then we own it, we hang out everyone involved & ensure this never happens again. It's been endemic but I'm sure one of our former players talked about it happening at another club.

?

 

[The Northern Baptist]

Is it me or are the number of links and reports to City increasing on this? No matter how trivial or remote the press seem to be linking this to City. Perfect opportunity for the press to destroy the brand when these snowballs happen.

I would expect Utd dominated press to make the most out of this..... any spurious link, and gossip, anything with City linked to it, whatever bullshit they can report it. And if you think the press care about these players and what has happened to them, then you are thinking wrong, they will use this as a way of trying to destroy this club.

Hopefully I am wrong, but I am so cynical about the press and how they work nowadays

City are going to be at the centre of this. Make no mistake about that

 

[lancs blue]

Two more victims have come forward stating they were abused by Bennell and both were with him at, presumably, Whitehill (the BBC refers to "the Manchester City nursery team"): http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-38093421

Which is pretty much how Whitehill was described at the time as I remember, there's no doubt there was a close footballing relationship, the question is whether anyone at the City end of the relationship was turning a blind eye to what was happening at Whitehill.