Safeguarding in football and the Fulham sexual assault claims.
Following allegations made against former Fulham Football Club owner Mohamed Al-Fayed by an ex-Fulham Ladies FC player ((https://www.abusecompensation.co.uk/news-articles/mohamed-al-fayed-abuse.html), new allegations have been made against an ex-employee of Fulham Football Club by four women who previously played for the Fulham Ladies team.
The four players have reported sexual assaults carried out by the individual to the Metropolitan police . The incidents are alleged to have occurred during the 1990s and 2000s. It has been noted that two of the women were minors at the time. They also experienced inappropriate relations (sometimes overlapping) with a number of young adult players at the club. In one instance, whilst in his capacity as a Fulham FC employee, the individual is said to have sexually assaulted two Fulham Ladies by supplying them with alcohol, kissing them and groping one of them over her clothes whilst they were minors.
Furthermore, allegations have been made by one of the players that the ex-employee would often give her a lift home from training or matches and they would engage in sexual acts, while she was still under the legal age of consent. In the years that followed, the players claim that he was sleeping with two of his players who were then aged 17 and 20. At the time this was not illegal, but in 2004 legislation was introduced which made it illegal for anyone in a position of trust to engage in sexual activity with someone under 18 who is in their care. This provision was extended in 2022 with sports coaches being added to the list of roles covered by this law.
However, the English Football Association (the governing body of football in England) states it has always applied the principles of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 in which “it is an offence for a person aged 18 or over to involve a child under that age in sexual activity where he or she is in a specified position of trust in relation to that child”. This raises issues with how the employee of Fulham FC could have breached the standards set by the FA.
Another of the players has highlighted how the relationship she had with this individual felt like she had been groomed over the years. Although their sexual relationship did not start until she had reached the age of 17, he had known her since she joined Fulham aged nine and had previously babysat her. The relationship was instigated whilst she was playing for the club.
Whilst the ex-Fulham FC employee has said that he was not their coach whilst they progressed from the junior to the senior team, the women argue that they made appearances for the senior team from the age of 14.
There is evidence to suggest that adequate safeguarding was not in place at Fulham FC during this time. One of the four players later worked with the individual in the community office whilst playing for the reserves. During this time, she and the individual would leave at lunchtime and go to his flat to engage in sex. The player did not feel like she could turn to anyone else within the club as he was the point of contact for any issues due to his prominent role in the women’s set up.
Overall the players reflected that they believe their experiences with this individual negatively affected their football careers. One of the four players noted that she developed an eating disorder due to the secrecy of their relationship, whilst it also impacted her relationships with men for many years following. Another of the players highlighted how his inappropriate relationships with players in the team created a toxic and fearful environment, and some players felt obliged to carry on at the club as if nothing was happening.
In 2000-01, mandatory safeguarding training for coaches was introduced to create robust measures to protect both children and adults in football. For example, the FA now recommends that anyone working with people under 18 completes a safeguarding course every three years; clubs with players under 17 now require many members of staff to have an FA DBS check; and clubs must now have a designated safeguarding office or welfare office in place.
Further information on the Fulham sexual assault claims allegations and the process of making a compensation claim for abuse in sport, contact our free legal helpline.