Nobody wanted to be seen as insensitive, bearing in mind the seriousness of what was being alleged. Inside the club, there were discussions in the first few weeks about whether or not it was appropriate to post photographs of their players laughing or smiling during training sessions. One player was horrified to find people wrongly speculating on the internet about him being the alleged offender. No club, however, is fully prepared for this kind of issue and perhaps it was inevitable there would be some difficult moments when his employers quickly had to learn about crisis management. Staff knew he could not stay in a hotel while something this serious was hanging over him. The club’s player-liaison department helped find the footballer a new place to live, away from the photographers and other media who had pinned down his existing address. Few mention it but they all know that, at some point, it will be big news again.
The first they knew was when their team-mate failed to show for training on the Friday morning he was arrested.įootballers tend to be a resilient bunch but, according to people with knowledge of this situation, this has been one occasion when they have found it hard to know how to react. Although the specifics of the case were not explained, many were shaken by what they heard. The news broke last summer during pre-season and the players were brought together for a meeting in which they were told what was being alleged. “He will now be asked to answer bail on Saturday, July 16, as enquiries continue,” reads a police statement.Īt his club, meanwhile, they are trying their best to carry on as normal and keep everything away from the rest of the players as much as they can. The next extension was until April 17, and on that last occasion, the police had to make a special application to magistrates. That was first extended to January 16 and then, again, by another three days. The first time, after his arrest, was until October 19. What can be reported is that he has been placed on police bail on five separate occasions over the last 11 months. The footballer cannot be named unless he is charged with an offence, or decides to go public himself. Any media outlet that disregards them faces the possibility of legal action. The reality of football is that it is exceedingly difficult for anything of this nature to remain confidential, particularly in the era of social media. It has been a long and drawn-out process already and, if you are wondering why you have not read more about the player in question, it is because the legalities mean his name cannot be reported, along with any details - his age, his nationality, his club, family circumstances and so on - that could identify him as the alleged offender. The next date for him to answer bail - July 16 - will be 12 months exactly since the day of his arrest. And, outside a very small circle, nobody has the details anyway.Īll they can do is wait, and wait, to find out whether the police investigation will eventually result in the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) issuing criminal charges. Nobody at the club wants to talk about it, though.
His club, it is said, helped arrange the move. There have even been suggestions that the skylights at his new house were taped over to eliminate any risk of drones filming from above. He has been moved to a secret location while the police continue their investigation into allegations he had unlawful sexual activity with a girl under 16. He is not involved when his team-mates go for a game of golf on one of the nearby courses, or when they stop for a coffee on the way back from training. These days, the footballer in question is living elsewhere in what has been described by various media outlets as a “safe house”.
It was here, one day last summer, when the detectives knocked on his door as part of their investigation into alleged child-sex offences involving a professional footballer. Big walls, imposing gates, security cameras outside and enough high-powered cars to confirm this is a footballers’ enclave. The streets are broad and elegant, the houses opulent, the rental agreements of a level only the wealthy could afford. It does not need long, heading down his pretty tree-lined road, to understand what attracted him to the area.