Grassroots understands that the number of people that have came forward and reported abuse within football, current and historic, to police forces around England now stands at 350.
What at first appeared to be isolated cases may well turn out to be the biggest scandal to rock football in recent memory, the shear numbers coming forward have led organisations such as The FA and The NSPCC to put in place dedicated helplines for victims.
The scandal surrounding allegations of historical child sex abuse in football could spread to other sports, a senior police officer has warned.
A “significant” number of other alleged victims of abuse are likely to come forward and further sporting governing bodies may report similar problems, Chief Constable Simon Bailey, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for child protection, said.
The horrifying thought that this could be happening within a sport followed by and loved by millions of children leaves a chill running down our spines.
The NSPCC which this week set up a dedicated hotline – on 0800 023 2642 – for football-related cases.
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