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The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Children (NSPCC) set up the hotline last month after former
Crewe Alexandra player Andy Woodward revealed he had been abused
as a boy by a youth team coach, prompting other ex-professionals
to come forward with more allegations.
It also led to police inquiries across the country and on Friday
officers said they had identified 83 potential suspects and
possible links to 98 clubs. [nL5N1E41TA]
"It's clear that for far too long, hundreds of people who
suffered abuse as youngsters in the game have not been able to
speak up, but it is encouraging that so many are finally finding
their voice," said NSPCC chief executive Peter Wanless.
"What's important now is that those victims get that much-needed
support, and that perpetrators are identified and brought to
justice by police."
The NSPCC said more than 1,700 calls have been made since Nov.
23, with 907 in the last fortnight. Many of these calls had been
referred to police and the National Police Chiefs' Council
(NPCC) said last week that 350 potential victims had been
identified.
On Tuesday, London police said it had received 106 separate
allegations relating to individuals at 30 clubs, including four
in the Premier League.
The tales of abuse suffered by the former players, some of whom
have broken down in tears in television interviews, have shocked
Britain. They raise questions about the scale of the problem,
how much clubs and soccer authorities knew, and whether they
tried to cover it up.
English soccer's governing body, the Football Association, has
launched an internal review into what it admitted could be one
of the sport's biggest crises, and promised to fully publicize
its findings.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; editing by Stephen Addison)
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