Uncomfortable Truths

 

Uncomfortable Truths

I write these words not as a supporter of Celtic but as a human being. If you read them and look for ammunition to use in the sick online point scoring game which has descended into the gutter in recent years then I suggest you stop reading now and go ponder your personal morality.

Today saw the release of the SFA’s report into non recent sexual abuse in Scottish football. Its 191 pages are a damning indictment of the actions of wicked predators who used their positions of power to prey on vulnerable young people. It is also an indictment of a system which failed in its duty of care towards the children involved. The report states….

‘Children and young people were harmed because of the actions of individuals. Their responsibility for their actions is inescapable and it is right that this should be made explicit where possible through prosecution. However, going beyond the actions of those individuals who actually perpetrated abuse there is a wider issue of accountability based on a duty of care to young people on the part of organisations and exercised by those who worked within them.’

The report contains the testimony of people, who as vulnerable children, were groomed and abused in the most heinous manner. Many relinquished their right to anonymity to tell harrowing tales of what they endured and how, for the most part, the clubs and Scottish football failed them. Potential careers in football foundered, physical health was impacted and lifelong mental health issues are still endured by the victims of these crimes. Some sought solace in substance abuse while for others, low self-esteem, depression and self-harm became part of their lives.

It seems inescapable to conclude anything other than the fact that some organisations cared more for their reputations than for the youngsters harmed on their watch.

Some young people found the courage to report what they had endured and were met with mixed responses. One lad involved with Rangers FC told his parents and the report states what happened with the following words…

‘X later confided in his parents about this event. His parents then contacted members of the Management Team at Rangers FC who confronted D who was immediately dismissed from the Club. The Club have since said publicly that this matter was reported to the Police at the time however the Independent Review is unable to confirm whether a formal report was made. X returned to Rangers FC the following week. However, the Review was told that the repercussions of his allegations continued for him at the club. This mainly included a coach openly threatening that whoever had “grassed” his friend and “got him the sack” had better “watch his back” as he would “make his life hell”. The Review is concerned that, even following the dismissal of D from the Club, a colleague of D was able to intimidate young players (including X) as if to enforce their continued silence about any possible experiences which rightly should have been reported and dealt with.’

This example demonstrates the type of culture which stopped many, possibly the majority, of victims from coming forward even to this day and perpetuated the problem.

Such is the sad state of elements of our society that the above paragraphs in what is a Celtic blog will be viewed as selective and bias. Let me therefore assuage the more unhinged by demonstrating that there are no sacred cows and that all who failed our children are equally culpable. The SFA’s report is clear about football’s failings and that includes the failing of my own club, Celtic FC. There can be no hiding from this, no pathetic point scoring. This issue affected many of the major football clubs in the land. Indeed, the scale of the problem was laid bare when the English FA and the SFA opened their enquiries. They found, as one article pointed out…

‘Within a month of the initial reporting, the Football Association, the Scottish Football Association, several football clubs and over 20 UK police forces had established various inquiries and investigations and over 350 alleged victims had come forward. By July 2018, 300 suspects were reported to have been identified by 849 alleged victims, with 2,807 incidents involving 340 different clubs. By the end of 2019, 15 men had been charged with historical sexual abuse offences, 14 of whom were tried. Thirteen – Bennell, Ormond, Higgins, William Toner, Michael Coleman, Jim McCafferty, Robert Smith, James Torbett, Gerald King, Frank Cairney, Norman Shaw, David Daniel Hayes, and Dylan Lamb – were convicted; all, except King (given a three-year probation order) were jailed. Paul McCann was cleared. Michael Carson took his own life before his trial opened. Other allegations involve individuals who had died prior to the revelations or died before charges could be brought.’

The sheer scale of the problem in laid bare in the above paragraph. Football was not an isolated context for this predatory behaviour as scandals within various churches, orphanages, care homes and scout groups proved. However, it cannot be denied that it was lax and, on some occasions, negligent in its duty of care to youngsters who were put into the hands of unvetted individuals who abused their position of trust. One man with links to Celtic FC, outlined his experiences in the report in a brutally frank manner and his disturbing account is compounded by the attitudes of the time. He stated that he …

‘…could tell no-one because he believed others would blame him; or stigmatise him (especially thinking he was 'gay' which was, and continues to be, considerably stigmatising for many young men in Scotland particularly in football and other sporting activity); would jeopardise his football career which was extremely important to him; and would cause him to be ridiculed and rejected by his peers. He also saw A as a powerful and influential figure who would always be believed before him.’

That culture of silence was what allowed the predators to get away with these things for so long. The report further states with added pathos…

‘A few years later he reported his experiences to the Scottish FA and to the Police. The Review understands that the Scottish FA took no further formal action in relation to his allegations.’

We should never forget the youngster who lost their innocence as well as their dreams of a career in football at the hands of wicked men. We can only imagine the impact their suffering has had on their lives. The report touches on aspects of the damage done when it states…

“The price they have paid has often been lifelong, frequently serious and sometimes catastrophic. The collateral damage caused to their relationships, their employment, their physical and mental health and their social wellbeing is incalculable.’

The reviews first recommendation is that an unequivocal and unreserved public apology be issued to those affected by sexual abuse in Scottish football. Such an apology should be on behalf of the club/organisation itself as well as the wider football family. There has to be recognition that the clubs involved failed in their duty of care. Celtic FC has long argued that the Celtic Boys Club was a separate entity and it had no control over who functioned as coaches in it. It may have a legal point in this, but it is morally right to apologise to those victims we know about. Even if the club does not accept legal culpability, it should compensate them. Celtic benefitted from the Boys Club by having first pick of its players and undoubtedly had a close association with it. The time for sheltering behind legalese is finished; do the right thing.

I know some of you reading this will have experienced abuse in your lives and I apologise if the above words reopen bad memories but Scottish football need to deal openly and honestly with the festering sore of historic child abuse. It affected many clubs in our land and blighted the lives of so many children and young people. The spectre of moronic chants about abuse from the stands of our football stadiums or graffiti on the walls of our towns and cities needs to be banished forever. It is despicable to use these events to score points over rivals especially so when similar events took place at your own club.

Thank you to the SFA for publishing this report. It is an ugly document full of uncomfortable truths but they had to be said. So, let us be mature about this and work together to see that it can never happen again. This isn’t about the petty rivalries of one club and another; this is about decent human beings standing together to say no more!

 

This article is dedicated to all the victims of sexual abuse in football, known and as yet unknown. I hope you managed to overcome the ghosts of the past and have a happy life. HH