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A Premier League footballer has been further questioned by constabulary and remains nether probe for allegedly raping 3 women and sexually assaulting a fourth, the BBC tin reveal.
This comes a twelvemonth connected from a BBC News investigation, which spoke to 5 women who accused the Premier League subordinate of rape, intersexual battle oregon controlling behaviour.
Despite 4 women reporting the man, who we are calling Player X, to the constabulary for alleged intersexual offences from 2021 to 2023, helium has continued to play for the club.
One pistillate told the BBC the deficiency of enactment from the nine and governing assemblage the Football Association contributed to her attempting to instrumentality her ain life.
"I didn't privation to beryllium successful a satellite wherever I'm perpetually reminded that rape allegations tin beryllium ignored arsenic agelong arsenic you're talented enough," she explained.
Another pistillate said they judge if Player X had been suspended aft the archetypal allegation she would not person gone connected to beryllium sexually assaulted.
The shot bodies accidental they instrumentality intersexual misconduct precise seriously.
The BBC has confirmed that the footballer attended a constabulary presumption connected Thursday 7 November and was interviewed nether caution - this was the archetypal clip helium was questioned astir an allegation of rape reported past twelvemonth by a 4th woman.
It has been 2 and fractional years since Player X was archetypal arrested connected suspicion of rape successful July 2022, pursuing a study from 1 woman. Shortly afterwards helium was besides arrested for an earlier allegation of rape from a 2nd woman, who reported him to the constabulary successful August 2021.
Player X was questioned by constabulary successful February 2023 astir allegations of intersexual battle made by a 3rd woman.
Privacy rules regarding the recognition of suspects means the BBC is not naming the footballer. The subordinate has denied wrongdoing, the BBC understands.
One of the women, who we are calling Kira, archetypal reported Player X to the constabulary successful August 2021 and has expressed uncovering the transgression process highly strenuous, arsenic she continues to hold for the result of the constabulary investigation.
“This investigation, my lone accidental astatine justice, has drained maine physically and mentally…the longer this probe drags on, the much my spot successful the strategy fades,” she told the BBC.
The BBC probe from past November recovered 7 retired of 20 Premier League clubs person had players oregon bosses investigated by the constabulary for intersexual offences since 2020.
However, the bodies lone person regulations connected however to respond to allegations of this quality if they hap wrong “a shot environment”, oregon if concerns subordinate to children oregon susceptible adults. Therefore, they accidental the allegations against Player X bash not autumn nether their safeguarding requirements.
This contrasts with the attack successful the United States, wherever the National Football League (NFL) and Major League Baseball (MLB) person publicly-available policies for players, oregon staff, who person been accused of intersexual oregon home violence.
The women told the BBC past November that the club, FA and Premier league are prioritising commercialized interests implicit the information of women.
The personage presumption of apical footballers has led to calls for players who go embroiled successful transgression allegations to beryllium suspended until it has been afloat investigated.
Dame Caroline Dineage, chairwoman of the Culture, Media and Sport Committee, told the BBC past twelvemonth that footballers’ nationalist role-model presumption means it is important immoderate intersexual maltreatment allegations are handled appropriately.
"As portion of the caller regulator's relation mounting licensing conditions, we privation to spot it person the powers to instrumentality clubs to task for their attack and deficiency of advancement erstwhile it comes to improving each facet of equality, diverseness and inclusion,” she added.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the BBC that arsenic determination is an ongoing probe this is simply a substance for the police, the FA and Premier League.
After archetypal going to the constabulary successful August 2021, Kira emailed the FA, Premier League and the nine astir her allegations the pursuing period "in desperation", arsenic she was disquieted astir him continuing to play connected specified a large level portion helium was being investigated.
The nine told her it couldn't sermon her allegations for ineligible reasons. The Premier League directed her to the FA.
More than 4 months aft contacting the FA astir her allegations, it told her successful emails that it could instrumentality "no further action" arsenic the alleged behaviour did not breach its regulations.
It stated determination was "no evidence" to suggest that Player X "poses a hazard of harm to children oregon adults astatine risk". It sent her a PDF papers that was titled "Football's Safeguarding Children policy" - which did not use to her.
"They were hiding down their deficiency of policies whilst knowing that the regulations they did person acceptable up were meant to support profits, not victims," says Kira.
In July 2024, Kira again approached the club, Premier League and FA - sending them grounds that she was a “vulnerable adult”.
In an email, seen by the BBC, the nine told her they had passed her correspondence onto the Premier League and the FA. The Premier League told her it was incapable to sermon allegations presently nether constabulary investigation. And the FA, told her it couldn’t stock immoderate details oregon updates regarding if immoderate FA interventions person been taken.
“Further, we notation to our email…where we explained we are not the leader of the individual,” it added.
Speaking astir the effect Kira told the BBC their correspondence has “reinforced a devastating connection that I don’t matter, that much women coming guardant doesn’t matter, and that adjacent erstwhile I conscionable safeguarding requirements, it volition ne'er matter”.
Another pistillate - Mia - says she believes if the FA and nine had acted erstwhile they were archetypal alerted to a rape allegation successful 2021, she wouldn’t person aboriginal gone to the location of Player X wherever she alleges helium sexually assaulted her.
"If they had decided to instrumentality the archetypal allegation seriously... if they had suspended him, I ne'er would person been successful that concern that I was successful that day," she told the BBC.
"Their determination caused maine to suffer," she said.
While the FA has elaborate policies successful spot for players accused of betting connected the game, determination isn't thing akin for players accused of intersexual oregon home unit that takes spot beyond the shot environment.
Clubs' responses to players and starring figures nether constabulary probe for specified offences are varied - with immoderate opting to suspend, and others not.
Some lawyers successful the UK person noted the galore ineligible difficulties facing shot clubs erstwhile considering however to woody with a subordinate facing allegations of intersexual oregon home violence, without overarching rules successful place.
This month, Benjamin Mendy successfully sued Manchester City implicit his unpaid wages during his suspension, aft helium was charged with rape and intersexual battle successful 2021 and aboriginal recovered not blameworthy connected each counts.
A spokesperson for the Met said: “Met officers are investigating pursuing a fig of reports of alleged intersexual offences betwixt 2021 and 2023.
“A antheral successful his 30s was arrested successful July 2022. He has since been interviewed by constabulary connected 2 further occasions portion nether caution.
“The probe remains ongoing and detectives are continuing with in-depth and elaborate enquiries. Those who person travel guardant to constabulary proceed to person enactment from Met officers."
The footballer's nine and the Premier League told america they were incapable to remark connected an ongoing constabulary investigation.
A spokesperson for the FA added: "Our safeguarding policies and procedures let america to enactment and support children and adults astatine hazard wrong a football-related environment.”
"Regardless of wherever the incidental took place, if the idiosyncratic has a relation wrong football, we ever transportation retired a thorough safeguarding hazard appraisal and instrumentality the due enactment if we judge determination is simply a hazard of harm to children. We are incapable to remark connected circumstantial cases, but that does not mean that we haven't taken the required enactment oregon applied due safeguards wrong our jurisdiction.”
And if you are affected by immoderate of the issues successful this story, contact BBC Action Line for details of proposal and support.
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