1 week ago
5
A Premier League footballer has been further questioned by police and remains under investigation for allegedly raping three women and sexually assaulting a fourth, the BBC can reveal.
This comes a year on from a BBC News investigation, which spoke to five women who accused the Premier League player of rape, sexual assault or controlling behaviour.
Despite four women reporting the man, who we are calling Player X, to the police for alleged sexual offences from 2021 to 2023, he has continued to play for the club.
One woman told the BBC the lack of action from the club and governing body the Football Association contributed to her attempting to take her own life.
"I didn't want to exist in a world where I'm constantly reminded that rape allegations can be ignored as long as you're talented enough," she explained.
Another woman said they believe if Player X had been suspended after the first allegation she would not have gone on to be sexually assaulted.
The football bodies say they take sexual misconduct very seriously.
The BBC has confirmed that the footballer attended a police station on Thursday 7 November and was interviewed under caution - this was the first time he was questioned about an allegation of rape reported last year by a fourth woman.
It has been two and half years since Player X was first arrested on suspicion of rape in July 2022, following a report from one woman. Shortly afterwards he was also arrested for an earlier allegation of rape from a second woman, who reported him to the police in August 2021.
Player X was questioned by police in February 2023 about allegations of sexual assault made by a third woman.
Privacy rules regarding the identification of suspects means the BBC is not naming the footballer. The player has denied wrongdoing, the BBC understands.
One of the women, who we are calling Kira, first reported Player X to the police in August 2021 and has expressed finding the criminal process extremely strenuous, as she continues to wait for the outcome of the police investigation.
“This investigation, my only chance at justice, has drained me physically and mentally…the longer this investigation drags on, the more my trust in the system fades,” she told the BBC.
The BBC investigation from last November found seven out of 20 Premier League clubs have had players or bosses investigated by the police for sexual offences since 2020.
However, the bodies only have regulations on how to respond to allegations of this nature if they occur within “a football environment”, or if concerns relate to children or vulnerable adults. Therefore, they say the allegations against Player X do not fall under their safeguarding requirements.
This contrasts with the approach in the United States, where the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) have publicly-available policies for players, or staff, who have been accused of sexual or domestic violence.
The women told the BBC last November that the club, FA and Premier league are prioritising commercial interests over the safety of women.
The celebrity status of top footballers has led to calls for players who become embroiled in criminal allegations to be suspended until it has been fully investigated.
Dame Caroline Dineage, chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told the BBC last year that footballers’ public role-model position means it is crucial any sexual abuse allegations are handled appropriately.
"As part of the new regulator's role setting licensing conditions, we want to see it have the powers to take clubs to task for their approach and lack of progress when it comes to improving every aspect of equality, diversity and inclusion,” she added.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC that as there is an ongoing investigation this is a matter for the police, the FA and Premier League.
After first going to the police in August 2021, Kira emailed the FA, Premier League and the club about her allegations the following month "in desperation", as she was worried about him continuing to play on such a big platform while he was being investigated.
The club told her it couldn't discuss her allegations for legal reasons. The Premier League directed her to the FA.
More than four months after contacting the FA about her allegations, it told her in emails that it could take "no further action" as the alleged behaviour did not breach its regulations.
It stated there was "no evidence" to suggest that Player X "poses a risk of harm to children or adults at risk". It sent her a PDF document that was titled "Football's Safeguarding Children policy" - which did not apply to her.
"They were hiding behind their lack of policies whilst knowing that the regulations they did have set up were meant to protect profits, not victims," says Kira.
In July 2024, Kira again approached the club, Premier League and FA - sending them evidence that she was a “vulnerable adult”.
In an email, seen by the BBC, the club told her they had passed her correspondence onto the Premier League and the FA. The Premier League told her it was unable to discuss allegations currently under police investigation. And the FA, told her it couldn’t share any details or updates regarding if any FA interventions have been taken.
“Further, we refer to our email…where we explained we are not the employer of the individual,” it added.
Speaking about the response Kira told the BBC their correspondence has “reinforced a devastating message that I don’t matter, that more women coming forward doesn’t matter, and that even when I meet safeguarding requirements, it will never matter”.
Another woman - Mia - says she believes if the FA and club had acted when they were first alerted to a rape allegation in 2021, she wouldn’t have later gone to the house of Player X where she alleges he sexually assaulted her.
"If they had decided to take the first allegation seriously... if they had suspended him, I never would have been in that situation that I was in that day," she told the BBC.
"Their decision caused me to suffer," she said.
While the FA has detailed policies in place for players accused of betting on the game, there isn't anything similar for players accused of sexual or domestic violence that takes place beyond the football environment.
Clubs' responses to players and leading figures under police investigation for such offences are varied - with some opting to suspend, and others not.
Some lawyers in the UK have noted the many legal difficulties facing football clubs when considering how to deal with a player facing allegations of sexual or domestic violence, without overarching rules in place.
This month, Benjamin Mendy successfully sued Manchester City over his unpaid wages during his suspension, after he was charged with rape and sexual assault in 2021 and later found not guilty on all counts.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “Met officers are investigating following a number of reports of alleged sexual offences between 2021 and 2023.
“A man in his 30s was arrested in July 2022. He has since been interviewed by police on two further occasions while under caution.
“The investigation remains ongoing and detectives are continuing with in-depth and detailed enquiries. Those who have come forward to police continue to receive support from Met officers."
The footballer's club and the Premier League told us they were unable to comment on an ongoing police investigation.
A spokesperson for the FA added: "Our safeguarding policies and procedures allow us to support and protect children and adults at risk within a football-related environment.”
"Regardless of where the incident took place, if the individual has a role within football, we always carry out a thorough safeguarding risk assessment and take the appropriate action if we believe there is a risk of harm to children. We are unable to comment on specific cases, but that does not mean that we haven't taken the required action or applied appropriate safeguards within our jurisdiction.”
And if you are affected by any of the issues in this story, contact BBC Action Line for details of advice and support.
