Gwyn Williams: Former youth coach 'instigator' of racial abuse at Chelsea
- Published
Gwyn Williams (left) and Graham Rix (right) worked together at Chelsea during the 1990s
A review into allegations of racial abuse at Chelsea Football Club says that "black players were subjected to a daily tirade of racial abuse".
The report by charity Barnado's also concluded that "Gwyn Williams was the instigator of such abuse".
Chelsea began its own investigation in January 2018 into allegations by three former youth players that former youth team coaches Williams and Graham Rix racially abused them.
Both men have denied the allegations.
Seven more players made further claims about incidents in the 1980s and 1990s.
In conclusion the report found, despite "clearly conflicting accounts", the evidence "strongly indicates" that there was "racially abusive behaviour towards black young people at Chelsea during the 1980s and 1990s and that based on information from those spoken to, that Gwyn Williams was the instigator of such abuse".
It added that while Rix "could be aggressive and bullying", on the evidence presented to the report, "he was not racially abusive" but "the same cannot be said about Williams".
In response, Williams wrote to the review, saying he "denies any and all allegations" and that "he did not act in a racist way towards any youth or other player" at Chelsea.
He claimed the extracts of the report shown to him were "biased, untrue, unfair and artificial and part of a concerted effort to scapegoat him".
Rix also gave a statement to the review through his solicitor, saying he "denies he was bullying or aggressive. He denies he was (or is) a racist".
Chelsea has acknowledged the "overwhelming information" that a member of staff during the 1980s and 90s subjected young players to bullying and racially abusive behaviour.
The Premier League club has apologised to "all players who experienced this deeply shocking behaviour".
Rix joined the club in 1993 and left in 2000, a year after being jailed for having sex with an underage girl. Williams joined Chelsea in 1979 as youth development officer and worked as assistant manager under former boss Claudio Ranieri before leaving the club in 2006.
The review by children's charity Barnardo's interviewed 22 people, during which process the culture at the club was described as a "dog-eat-dog environment".
Former players who were interviewed gave examples of bullying between players including throwing excrement, deep heat rubbed in genitalia and beatings - carried out irrespective of race.
The report stated that this "bullying" helped create a culture "in which racially abusive behaviour also could take place".
The review received numerous claims of Williams "humiliating and ridiculing black players by making racially derogatory remarks" including specific allegations he made monkey noises and called black players "shoe shine" and "darkie".
Some former players said Williams would claim he was preparing young players for abuse they would receive if they went on to represent the first team.
Former staff told the report that Williams and Rix were "quite aggressive" but that Williams was "on a par with what football was like in those days", while a former first-team manager said Rix had "a great ability to deal with young players and had a good emotional empathy".
The review said there was "much less information" available on allegations against Rix and that the three former youth players who initially spoke to the Guardian newspaper did not come forward to be interviewed by Barnardo's.