Child Abuse Scandal

[craigkillie]

36 minutes ago, CCB19035 said:

Why are some clubs struggling with this? I imagine most their fans will be disgusted by their behaviour. 

Because for every one fan who is disgusted by it, there will be another 100 who don't give a shit and about 3 or 4 who probably actively enjoy using the whole thing for point scoring.

[craigkillie]

1 hour ago, CCB19035 said:

Point scoring against their own team? 
 

It's not about what fans think in any case, it's about the victims, they deserve an apology, a promise to do better, and some compensation, publicly from all the clubs we know to be involved.

There would be Rangers fans out there whose entire raison d'etre would collapse around them if their club ever put out a statement apologising for child abuse. A small minority, sure, but they do exist, and they are sadly probably in greater numbers than the people who are genuinely outraged that their club has done nothing at all.

I'm not arguing about what is right here - of course you are correct about it - but I'm explaining why I think clubs have been reluctant to apologise.

[DukDukGoose]

4 hours ago, craigkillie said:

There would be Rangers fans out there whose entire raison d'etre would collapse around them if their club ever put out a statement apologising for child abuse. A small minority, sure, but they do exist, and they are sadly probably in greater numbers than the people who are genuinely outraged that their club has done nothing at all.

I'm not arguing about what is right here - of course you are correct about it - but I'm explaining why I think clubs have been reluctant to apologise.

There was a Celtic fan on kerrydale street who was excited as this could be the silver bullet that confirms Sevco is a new club.

Words fail me.

[Drew Brees]

A former top-flight footballer has come forward to claim he was repeatedly abused in a manager’s office at Ibrox while he was a youth player with Rangers.

The retired professional alleges he was indecently assaulted by Gordon Neely, the club’s head of youth development, in the late 1980s.

Neely was unmasked as a prolific paedophile in the report into sexual abuse within football, which was commissioned by the Scottish FA and published last week.

It found he sexually and physically abused at least three other youths at Ibrox and previously molested other young players at Hibernian and Hutchison Vale, an Edinburgh youth side. It prompted the player, who went on to have a distinguished career in Scottish and English football, to speak publicly about his experiences for the first time.

“Neely abused me five or six times in the manager’s dressing room at Ibrox,” he said. “I’d dreamed of playing for Rangers since I was a child and was scared I’d be let go if I told anyone, so I said nothing.”


On the first occasion, when he was 15, Neely accused him of drinking at the weekend, which he denied, and told him he could either lose his place in the team or accept a punishment.

“I was a Rangers fan growing up and I didn’t want to stop playing,” said the former player, who has requested anonymity. “I was confused and didn’t know what was going on.”


The abuse then continued on a number of occasions. “One time, in particular, really sticks in my mind,” he said. “I was injured and Neely asked me to come in. It sounds odd now but I remember feeling really important because I was getting to go into the stadium during the day.


“The abuse took place in the office that was usually used by the manager. I can remember it like it was yesterday. It had a desk but there was a shower and changing area further in the back and that’s where Neely would lead me.”

Unable to take any more, he sacrificed his dream to play for his boyhood heroes and walked out.

“Looking back now I’m so glad I had the guts to leave when I did,” he said. “Nobody from Rangers ever asked me why I was leaving or if there was anything they could do to change my mind.”

He put his ordeal to the back of his mind for decades but decided to give a full account to Police Scotland two years ago. They informed him Neely had died of cancer in 2014, aged 62.

Publicity surrounding last week’s report convinced him to speak out and seek legal redress.

In 2018 another alleged victim of Neely was told he should pursue his complaint with liquidators. He was told by lawyers that Rangers was owned by a different company when the abuse took place and that duty of care was not with the present owners.

The latest survivor to come forward insists that that position is ethically unsustainable. “Rangers can’t hide from the fact that the abuse took place at Ibrox,” he said. “It happened in their stadium, irrespective of who now owns it.”

Rangers has strenuously denied any wrongdoing.

The club did not respond to a request for comment but previously issued a statement saying: “It is understood the individual was dismissed immediately and that the police were informed. All employees adhered to the strictest codes of conduct.”

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/prolific-paedophile-gordon-neely-abused-me-at-rangers-says-former-player-p95wfm36v

 

Edited February 20, 2021 by Drew Brees

[AJF]

After a month of silence, Rangers have now given their response to the SFA report regarding sexual abuse.

 

[gannonball]

8 minutes ago, AJF said:

After a month of silence, Rangers have now given their response to the SFA report regarding sexual abuse.

 

Didnt realise you had posted it in here as well but my post from other thread

‘We apologise to anyone personally affected by abuse within Scottish Football.’

Tbh I find this a bit strange, if it came from the SFA or another governing body then fair enough but can’t decide if this a cop out for compensation by admitting guilt from the club.

FWIW Im not looking for any tit for tat pish my own club’s statements have been vague for the same reason imo.

[Ira Gaines]

I thought it was quite a well measured and commendable statement. Especially after seeing some of the monstrosities coming from other clubs around the UK relating to this.

[AJF]

2 minutes ago, gannonball said:

Didnt realise you had posted it in here as well but my post from other thread

 

‘We apologise to anyone personally affected by abuse within Scottish Football.’

Tbh I find this a bit strange, if it came from the SFA or another governing body then fair enough but can’t decide if this a cop out for compensation by admitting guilt from the club.

FWIW Im not looking for any tit for tat pish my own club’s statements have been vague for the same reason imo.

On the whole, I think it's a considerate statement, but I agree with your comments. I think it would've carried a bit more weight had it said "We apologise to anyone personally affected by abuse within Rangers Football Club" but as you allude to, I expect this is likely something they've taken legal advice on to limit their risk.

[G51]

It's a start. It took too long, but it's a start.

A compensation fund and full implementation of the report recommendations are the minimum required though.

[Jinky67]

It’s a statement but like so many others including our own just doesn’t convey a strong enough feeling of remorse for me

Maybe it’s the wording regarding apologising for cases in Scottish football generally and not specifically their own.

Maybe I’m being overly critical I just feel many of these statements lack something however it is a statement and the club have at least said something 

Anyway I guess the most important thing is how clubs work together to ensure adequate compensation - if there can be such a thing - and to ensure this never ever happens again anywhere in Scotland.

Hopefully this is something we can all be united against and ensure our clubs do the right things

 

 

Edited March 12, 2021 by Jinky67