This archive report was first published on 6 August 2019.
On August 6, 2019, an independent report revealed that young players at Premier League giants Chelsea were subjected to years of abuse by a 'prolific and manipulative' coach.
The report, led by lawyer Charles Geekie, found that the club's former chief scout Eddie Heath, who died in 1983, was able to operate 'unchallenged', abusing boys aged between 10 and 17 in the 1970s.
Heath's behaviour was an open secret among players and staff, with victims recalling that he used 'sexual innuendo' in the changing room and made sure 'that his most serious sexual assaults took place in private.'
Chelsea has acknowledged that Heath was a 'dangerous and prolific child abuser' whose conduct was 'beyond reprehensible.'
The club has also accepted responsibility for what happened in the past, stating that 'although the club today is a very different place from the club then... we will not shy away from responsibility for what happened in the past.'
Claims for compensation are being assessed by insurers for the former European champions.
Heath was sacked when England World Cup-winning hero Geoff Hurst took over the club in 1979, but the former striker, now aged 77, denied knowing about Heath's behaviour and turned down requests to be interviewed for the report.
