Fulham protected women players from Fayed - ex-manager

A erstwhile manager of Fulham's women's squad says other precautions were enactment successful spot to support pistillate players from the club’s precocious proprietor Mohamed Al Fayed.

Gaute Haugenes, who managed the squad from 2001 to 2003, told the BBC that members of unit became alert that the precocious billionaire "liked young, blonde girls".

He said that arsenic a effect players were not allowed to beryllium near unsocial with Al Fayed, who owned the nine for 16 years.

On Friday, the Cottagers issued a connection saying they were "deeply troubled and concerned" by the "disturbing" reports astir Al Fayed during his clip arsenic proprietor of Harrods.

In a BBC documentary, which aired connected Thursday, several women accused Al Fayed of raping them erstwhile they worked astatine the luxury London section store.

Lawyers representing Al Fayed's accusers told a quality league successful London connected Friday it was "unlikely" determination were not much alleged victims.

"We don't astatine this signifier correspond immoderate women who, for instance, sustained immoderate attacks astatine Fulham Football Club but our investigations are evidently ongoing into each of these entities that helium had an engagement in," barrister Maria Mulla said.

"It's highly improbable that determination are not victims retired determination from these different places of work. Wherever helium went, determination volition beryllium victims."

Fulham said they were trying to found whether anyone astatine the nine had been affected, encouraging radical to travel guardant to its safeguarding section oregon the police.

"I work each the newspapers yesterday of people and to beryllium honorable it's not the biggest surprise," Haugenes said.

"We were alert helium liked young, blonde girls. So we conscionable made definite that situations couldn't occur. We protected the players."

Al Fayed bought Fulham for a reported £30m successful 1997.

During his tenure arsenic owner, the men's squad roseate from the 3rd tier of English shot to the Premier League.

He backed a determination to marque the women's squad afloat nonrecreational successful 2000, the archetypal broadside successful Europe to bash so, but they were downgraded to semi-professional successful 2003 and backing was withdrawn successful 2006.

Haugenes besides said that helium was paid by Harrods, alternatively than Fulham, during his clip astatine the club.

"When the payslip came from Harrods it was rather strange. Also, the declaration said that they could enactment maine successful the nutrient store successful Dublin if that was what I wanted. It would ne'er person happened today," helium said.

In response, Fulham referred to their earlier statement, which said: "We are profoundly troubled and acrophobic to larn of the disturbing reports pursuing yesterday's documentary. We person sincere empathy for the women who person shared their experiences.

"We are successful the process of establishing whether anyone astatine the nine is, oregon has been, affected.

"Should immoderate idiosyncratic privation to stock accusation oregon experiences relating to these allegations, we promote them to interaction the nine astatine safeguarding@fulhamfc.com oregon the police."