The Football Association secretly issued a lifetime ban to a former Chelsea coach at the centre of a racism and bullying scandal involving youth team players, according to reports.
Gwyn Williams – who worked alongside several Chelsea managers including Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho, and helped discover John Terry – was found to pose ‘a risk of harm to children within affiliated football.’
In February 2022, Chelsea settled a High Court case brought by four former youth-team players over alleged historical racial abuse by Williams and fellow coach Graham Rix in the 1990s. Each former player received a six-figure sum.
Williams, 76, was widely seen to have retired but The Athletic report he was issued with an FA ban – barring him from involvement in the game – in 2019.
The FA does not announce punishments for safeguarding matters with even those who exposed Williams not informed of the decision.
Chelsea settled a High Court case brought by four former youth-team players over alleged historical racial abuse by Gwyn Williams (right) and Graham Rix (left) in the 1990s
It has now emerged that Williams, pictured with Gianfranco Zola, was given a lifetime ban by the Football Association in 2019
Williams is seen with Chelsea manager Ruud Gullit after they won the 1997 FA Cup final
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The Athletic also reported that Rix, formerly Chelsea’s youth-team coach, was suspended between March 2017 and March 2019 while the FA investigated his part in the scandal.
Rix, 66, is now the manager of non-league club Fareham Town. A safeguarding panel decision in 2019 concluded Rix ‘may pose a risk of harm’ to children in terms of emotional abuse but the FA ruled it didn’t have enough evidence to substantiate the allegations of racism against him.
But the FA’s safeguarding team interviewed 15 witnesses as part of its investigation into Williams, including former colleagues and a number of players who suffered abuse.
The majority confirmed Williams was racist, aggressive and bullying on several occasions, with language including the N-word and ‘black b******’ used.
The FA’s policy on reporting safeguarding suspensions says: ‘Publication of details can have serious consequences.
‘This includes re-traumatising victims and/or causing them to re-live harmful abusive experiences.
‘In addition, vigilantism can have harmful effects on innocent people connected to those involved in safeguarding cases.’
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