Chelsea cleared of breaking rules in handling of Gary Johnson abuse case

The Premier League has ruled that Chelsea did not break any rules in failing to report allegations of historical sexual abuse made in 2014 by their former player Gary Johnson, but a safeguarding audit – agreed with the club – has been deemed an “appropriate course of action”.

Johnson spoke out after Chelsea waived the confidentiality clause – which he would later describe as a “gagging order” – in the £50,000 agreement they made with him in 2015. Since then the former trainee met with three Chelsea directors, who apologised for what happened to him as a youngster at the club, a gesture Johnson described as “too little, too late”.

In a statement issued late on Thursday, the Premier League said the club were found not to have broken rules, but have agreed to be subject to a full safeguarding audit undertaken by an independent expert. The league has also asked to be kept apprised of the review the club has ordered into its handling of Johnson’s allegations.

The statement read: “After careful consideration, the board has determined that no Premier League rules were broken by the club not reporting this matter to them in 2014. The League has requested that Chelsea agrees to a full safeguarding audit from an independent safeguarding expert. The League has no reason to have any concerns about Chelsea’s current provisions in this area, but, given the seriousness of these historical allegations, feels that such a review is an appropriate course of action.

“The League has also requested that Chelsea provides them with details of the current review the club has asked an external law firm to undertake into historical abuse and how it handled Mr Johnson’s claim, and that a full copy of the review is provided to the Premier League and the FA upon its completion. Chelsea has agreed to these requests.”

Johnson, now 57, told the Daily Mirror that he was assaulted multiple times over a three-year period by the club’s former chief scout Eddie Heath. Having joined the club in 1970 at the age of 11, Johnson alleged he was groomed two years later by Heath, who died in the early 80s. Johnson later featured in Chelsea’s first team squad between 1978 and 1981. He said: “I felt shame, I felt my childhood had been taken away. I spent my late teens in turmoil, absolute turmoil.”

Of the decision to include the confidentiality clause, Johnson said: “I think that they were paying me to keep a lid on this. Millions of fans around the world watch Chelsea. They are one of the biggest and richest clubs in the world.”