Chelsea Football Club has apologised âprofuselyâ to former footballer Gary Johnson over sex abuse he suffered as a youth team member in the 1970s.
Mr Johnson, 57, told the Mirror on Friday that the club paid him ÂŁ50,000 to keep quiet about allegations of sexual abuse by a former chief scout.
In a statement, Chelsea said Mr Johnson had âsuffered unacceptablyâ.
The club said a review into the case would take place, adding it had âno desire to hide any historic abuseâ.
It said the review would examine whether it had carried out a proper investigation when the allegations first came to light and why it did not report them to the Football Association and Premier League.
"We are fully committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all children and young people who are in our care or attending our premises.
âTheir welfare is of paramount importance,â the club said.
Mr Johnson was a member of Chelseaâs first team from 1978 to 1981.
He joined the club as an 11-year-old in 1970 and told the Mirror he had been groomed from the age of 13 by scout Eddie Heath.
Mr Heath, who was the clubâs chief scout from 1968 to 1979, died before the allegations against him were made.
According to the Mirror, Mr Johnson signed a confidentiality agreement in 2015 and accepted ÂŁ50,000 from the club, but they did not accept blame.
Chelsea said in its statement that when the settlement was reached the clubâs board understood it was âusual practiceâ to include a mutual confidentiality agreement, adding that Mr Johnsonâs solicitors had not objected to the clause.
âMore recently, against the current backdrop of wider revelations and other victims coming forward bravely to tell their story, we no longer felt it appropriate to keep the confidentiality agreement in place. It was therefore removed,â the club said.
The club said the decision to have a confidentiality clause had received âsignificant scrutinyâ and it had now asked an external law firm to review this decision and make recommendations for settling claims in the future.
"In advance of that, however, the board would like to make clear that, in light of what we know now about the wide-scale abuse in football clubs in the 1970s and 1980s, it now believes that the use of such a clause, while understandable, was inappropriate in this instance.
âWe certainly have no desire to hide any historic abuse we uncover from view. Quite the opposite.â
Chelsea said Mr Johnsonâs solicitors at the time claimed Heath had âinappropriate relationshipsâ with other young boys and men from the club, but no names were given.
The club said with the âlimited informationâ it received it had been unable to identify any further individuals who may have been subject to abuse.
It comes after former Chelsea midfielder Alan Hudson said on Facebook that it was âcommon knowledge that Mr Heath was a danger to us youngstersâ.
Chelsea added it was now a âvery different clubâ to the one it was in the 1970s.
It said its safeguarding policies were robust and continually reviewed and audited by the Premier League.strong text
Jesus Geoff thatâs sickening
Youâre better than this
Dragged down mate dragged down
So Chelsea paid Gary Johnson ÂŁ50,000 in 2015, told him to keep his mouth shut and didnât accept any blame.
Chelsea have now apologised and are saying they are a very different club to the one it was in the 1970âs. What about the club they were in 2015, not accepting responsibility, still sweeping it under the carpet and still blackguarding Gary Johnson 35 years on.
50k as well
Half a weeks wages for one of their reserves
The silence from all these new Chelsea fans like @Tassotti, @Nembo_Kid, @ProjectX and @Little_Lord_Fauntleroy on this one is deafening.
The clubs attitude to sex abuse and how they treated victims of sex abuse on their watch clearly wasnât part of their due diligence in deciding to suddenly start supporting Chelsea.
You do due diligence about who you support, mate?
Thatâs a bit sad.
Iâm a victim too. I just want to support my team
No. I follow just one soccer team, Tottenham Hotspur, my local club that Iâve followed all my life.
You seem to find a new club to support every other week. Youâre latest choice of club seems somewhat bizarre, starting to support a club in the week that a 35 year cover up of their shameful treatment of the victim of a paedophile employee was exposed.
You were complaining about us not doing due diligence, mate.
Bizarre.
Its not a bizarre choice at all really Geoff when you think about it.
Yes, Chelsea have really strong Italian connections.
Vialli, Zola, Di Matteo, Panucci, Dalla Bonna, Ancelotti, Conte, Ambrosio, Amelia, Cudicini etc etc
Sweep sweep
You like the gga dont you?