Silva shares Fulham sadness over claims of 'unacceptable' police ...

Fulham manager Marco Silva says he shares the club’s sadness after a report by The Athletic into what appears to be a flawed police investigation into historic allegations of sexual assault made by former women’s team players.

On Friday, The Athletic revealed that four former Fulham Ladies players spoke to the police at length in 2021 and 2022, detailing claims of sexual assaults when two of them were minors and of inappropriate and sometimes overlapping relationships with a number of young adult players.

The man they accuse, former manager of the team Gary Mulcahey, categorically denies their claims. The Metropolitan Police decided to drop the investigation and take “no further action”, citing “insufficient evidence” earlier this year, but the force’s apparent handling of the case has been described as “unacceptable” by Nazir Afzal, the former chief crown prosecutor for north-west England.

Three of the players — ex-captain Ronnie Gibbons and her former team-mates Deena Greaves (nee Rahman) and Claire, identified only by her first name — spoke separately to The Athletic about the abuse they say they suffered and how they felt let down by the police not investigating their complaints thoroughly enough.

Fulham responded after publication of the article by saying in a statement that “the allegations are troubling and sadden everyone at the club”.

Silva said he shares the club’s feeling and that: “For all of us as human beings, the news is really sad” (Photo: Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)

Silva was asked after Fulham’s men’s team drew 1-1 with Everton in the Premier League on Saturday evening whether he shared those feelings and his view on whether a proper investigation is needed.

“Firstly, if Fulham issue a statement, I think it’s about Fulham. I’m the manager of Fulham and I have to share the same feelings,” he said.

“Of course, I’m not a different person. Like all of you, I’m a human being. I have two daughters at home and you can understand what I’m saying to you.

“Everything we say from the top — the manager, the players, all the people at the club and the fans have to share the same feelings in this situation.

“Sad news for us. The news is really sad for us as a club. For all of us as human beings, the news is really sad.

“We have to wait for the investigations to see what is going to happen in the future.”

Fulham said on Friday they were informed by police in 2021 of the allegations but were advised not to conduct an internal inquiry.

“The club was informed by police in 2021 of historic allegations related to a former staff member,” the club said in a statement to The Athletic.

“We immediately engaged with all relevant statutory and regulatory bodies — including the police, the local authority, and the FA — to assist as requested with the criminal investigation.

“The club was advised that it should not conduct any internal inquiry to avoid compromising this investigation. We were recently informed by the police that there would be no further action.

“The allegations are troubling and sadden everyone at the club. Our commitment to safeguarding is longstanding and absolute. We have robust policies and practices in place to protect the safety and wellbeing of all of our supporters, staff, players and participants. We welcome hearing from anyone impacted.”

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(Top photo: Joe Prior/Visionhaus via Getty Images)

Patrick Boyland has been The Athletic's Everton correspondent since 2019. Prior to joining the company, he worked for ESPN, Mail Online and press agency Sportsbeat, where he covered numerous major sporting events. Boyland's views on Everton have been sought out by local and national media, while he is also a regular on a number of podcasts focusing on the club. Follow him on Twitter: @Paddy_Boyland