Crackdown to Protect Young Stars
FA draws up code of conduct to eradicate evil of child abuse after more than 100 cases are reported in 18 months
Brendan Pittaway
Originally published in The Observer, July 22, 2001
The pressure on England's next wave of soccer prodigies was highlighted last night when the FA revealed that it has investigated more than 100 allegations of child abuse in the past 18 months.
The shocking statistics come as the FA launches a multimillion-pound crackdown on abusers and bullies at every level in the English game - from schools football to the Premiership clubs.
Tony Pickerin, the FA's director of education and child protection and the man in charge of the new initiative, has told Observer Sport that his department is dealing with 61 cases of physical, sexual or verbal abuse. A further 55 have been concluded by police, social services and the FA's own disciplinary procedures since January last year. Just under half the incidents involve individuals working in football who had committed offences outside the game. A disturbing 27 per cent of offences, though, took place in a football setting, such as training sessions and away trips.
Some high-profile figures in the game, though, have already questioned whether the new arrangements will work in practice. John Barnwell, chief executive of the League Managers' Association, suggests that greater scrutiny of relations between a coach and his players could result in clubs being sued if youngsters are released.
"The need to deal with the issue of child protection is clear and we welcome the steps being taken, but what if a youngster has been with a club through its academy and is then told that he isn't to be given a senior contract?" said Barnwell. "Might he not use this new system as an excuse to get back at the club?
"There needs to be discipline in football and if you're going to take disciplinary action against a manager for giving a player a verbal dressing-down if it's needed, it beggars belief."
The FA would not disclose what proportion - if any - of the cases under investigation involved professional clubs and their academies or how many involved non-league or schools football.
The crackdown will see routine measures introduced to vet thoroughly anyone wanting to take up a job in football. Every coach or manager in the English professional or amateur leagues - including those already at the top of the game - will have to undergo rigorous child-protection training to keep their licences. A code of conduct, which could see coaches and players facing severe penalties for physically or verbally abusing their charges is also being drawn up.
The new guidelines mean individuals such as Graham Rix, now the Portsmouth manager, who was jailed two years ago for sex offences committed outside football while first-team coach at Chelsea, would possibly not be allowed to resume a career in the game.
Rix kept his job at Chelsea after being found guilty of having sex with an underage girl. The decision prompted calls for the FA to show that it was not condoning abuse, and it has subsequently decided to alter its rules so that any other coach in Rix's position would automatically receive an additional FA sanction - possibly a life ban.
Pickerin insisted: "We will get the message through to people, whether they like it or not. Adults in football have a duty to treat children appropriately and this they will do.
"If anyone is guilty of poor practice or misconduct, they will face disciplinary action. It doesn't matter whether they're a top coach or player or if they're working at schools level. Everyone will be treated the same.
"But we needn't worry about a drop-off in the standards of coaching. I'm sure we will continue to see charismatic, dynamic coaches in the game."
Later this year, the FA will register with the Criminal Records Bureau, allowing it to make instant checks on coaching and medical staff using police records.
Pickerin is keen to ensure that the attention is not focused only on what happens at the 92 Premier and Football League clubs. He said: "Those children who are fortunate enough to make it to the academies amount to less than 1 per cent of the total number of kids playing football in Britain.
"It is simply unfair to those children or their parents to concentrate resources in making the game safe only for the very best. We have an obligation to make it safe for all."
