Talk:Chelsea F.C.

Historic child sexual abuse scandal (2016)

On 29 November 2017, Chelsea became implicated in the United Kingdom football sexual abuse scandal after announcing it was investigating allegations of historical sexual abuse in the 1970s.Mendick, Robert; Rumsby, Ben (2016-11-30). "Exclusive: Chelsea made secret payment to player in child sex abuse claim". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 2021-07-30."Chelsea open investigation into historical sex abuse allegations". The Guardian. 2016-11-29. Retrieved 2021-07-30.Collomosse, James Olley, Tom (2016-12-02). "Who is Eddie Heath? Sacked scout at centre of Chelsea hush money story". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-07-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Significant investigative allegations against the club claimed that a secret payment was made to a former player who had accused the club's ex-chief scout Eddie Heath of child sexual abuse. On 2 December, Gary Johnson came forward, saying he was paid £50,000 not to go public with allegations he was sexually abused by Heath. The following day, Chelsea apologised "profusely" to Johnson, who later demanded further financial compensation from the club. On 3 December, The Independent reported a Chelsea youth player's allegation that Dario Gradi, then Chelsea's assistant manager, visited the player's family's home to "smooth over" a complaint of sexual assault against Heath in 1974. Gradi was suspended by the FA on 11 December 2016 in relation to these allegations. In August 2019, Chelsea's board apologised "unreservedly" for the mistake of allowing Heath, a "prolific and manipulative sexual abuser", to operate "unchallenged"."Chelsea statement | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club". ChelseaFC. Retrieved 2021-07-30. The apology followed an inquiry led by barrister Charles Geekie QC which heard evidence from 23 witnesses, with 15 reporting "serious and unambiguous sexual assaults", including rape."Chelsea racism case a fight for 'justice and equality'". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-07-30. In May 2018, the Guardian reported Chelsea had begun paying settlements to victims of sexual abuse at the club."Chelsea issue secret payout to alleged sexual abuse victim of former scout". The Guardian. 2018-05-17. Retrieved 2021-07-30. Legal experts have predicted the total cost of compensation for abuse victims across the UK could reach more than £100m. It is not currently known how much total compensation Chelsea has paid themselves.