England’s Football Association has set up a helpline for former players to report abuse and more victims are expected to step forward © AFP/File / Christophe Simon
London, United Kingdom, Nov 23 – A fourth former footballer said he too suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a youth coach as an aspiring player, in a snowballing scandal rocking the game in Britain.
Former England and Manchester City star David White, now 49, joins ex-Tottenham Hotspur striker Paul Stewart and two other former players alleging they were abused when they were children in youth football.
White said he was abused by Barry Bennell, a coach and talent scout who sexually abused young boys across three decades from the 1970s and has been named by other former footballers.
“Given recent press stories I wish to confirm that I was sexually abused by my former football coach Barry Bennell in the late 70s and early 80s,” White, who made nearly 400 league appearances for City, Leeds and Sheffield United from 1985 to 1998, said in a statement.
White, who earned an England cap in 1992, said in the statement reported by the BBC on Wednesday: “For a number of reasons and for nearly two decades I kept my ordeal secret from my family and friends.”
White said the abuse took place when he was playing for a junior team in Manchester.
England’s Football Association has set up a helpline for former players to report abuse and more victims are expected to step forward.
Stewart, capped three times by England, said he was repeatedly sexually assaulted by a man who threatened to kill his family if he told anyone.
“The mental scars led me into other problems with drink and drugs,” Stewart told the Daily Mirror.
The 52-year-old, who also played for Liverpool and Manchester City, added: “I know now it was a grooming process. The level of abuse got worse and worse.”
Stewart, a married father of three, said other players were also abused by the man, who was not named.
Stewart was encouraged to speak out after former Crewe Alexandra player Andy Woodward told the The Guardian he had suffered years of abuse by convicted paedophile Bennell, a former Crewe youth coach.
Bennell was jailed for nine years in 1998 after pleading guilty to sexual offences against young boys. He was also imprisoned for two years in May 2015 for an historic sexual offence against a boy and has spent time in jail in the United States.
Steve Walters, who was a gifted youth player at Crewe, then came forward to say he too was abused by Bennell, whose crimes are being re-investigated by Cheshire Police.
– ‘Life ruined’ –
Cheshire Police, responsible for policing the Crewe area, said 11 people had come forward saying they wanted to speak to police in the light of Woodward’s interview.
Woodward told the Guardian: “My life has been ruined until the age of 43, but how many others are there?
“I’m talking about hundreds of children who Barry Bennell cherry-picked for various football teams and who now, as adults, might still be living with that awful fear.”
Based in northwest England and currently in England’s fourth tier, Crewe have a well-established reputation for developing young players.
Crewe chairman John Bowler, who was in position at the time of Bennell’s offences, told the BBC the club were “distressed” by the accusations and would review the situation.
He added he was “very sorry for the distress caused” to Woodward and Walters.
In a joint statement, the FA, the Premier League and the Football League described Woodward’s story as “heartbreaking” and praised his “immense courage”.
Gordon Taylor, chief executive of British players’ union the Professional Footballers’ Association, said his organisation had also been contacted by victims of child abuse.
“Because of Woodward’s bravery, many other ex-players and apprentices are now contacting us — it is double figures now,” Taylor told Britain’s Press Association.
“And that is a timely warning for everybody in football about our duty of care to these youngsters.”
