A less beautiful game : Evidence grows of child abuse in football The Economist, December 2016. Footballers’ accounts of historic sex abuse point to the sport’s vulnerabilities WATCHING the man who abused him for years marry his sister was torture, said Andy Woodward, a former professional footballer. Mr Woodward recently revealed the abuse he suffered as a child at the hands of Barry Bennell, a youth coach, in the 1980s. Mr Bennell, who has served three prison sentences for child-sex offences, threatened him with violence if he told anyone. He now faces further charges of assault. As over 20 professional sportsmen have come forward to describe the sexual abuse they suffered as young players, football is the latest British institution forced to confront a history of child abuse. The enthusiasm of children for sport makes them especially vulnerable. Unlike those in care homes, they want to be there, so they are even more reluctant to report such crimes. Sports clubs provide myriad opportunities for sexual, physical and emotional abuse, argues Laura Hoyano, a lawyer at Oxford University. Checking for injuries can be a pretext for physical contact; trips away remove parents’ protection; praise and punishment can be a form of control. Coaches can make or break a young player’s career and use that power to facilitate abuse. Little research has been done on its prevalence, but a study published earlier this year of children in sport in Belgium and the Netherlands suggests that as many as 14% had been sexually assaulted. Football in Britain is notably prone to problems. The organisations that run it are rich, powerful and conscious of the sport’s reputation. That gives them the means and incentive to cover up abuse. The sport’s culture is also to blame. All children find it hard to disclose abuse. But boys are under added pressure if the perpetrator is a man in a sport known for machismo and homophobia. Advertisement In the decades since the abuse of Mr Woodward steps have been taken to improve child protection. Those who work with them are vetted through criminal-background checks. Useful as these are, they work only if an abuser has a record. The Child Protection in Sport Unit was established in 2001 in partnership with the National Society for the Protection of Children, a charity, and the national sporting bodies in England, Wales and Northern Ireland (Scotland has a separate organisation) to introduce standards and checks in all sports. But those responsible worry that their work matters less than winning matches, says Mike Hartill, a sports sociologist at Edge Hill University. The Football Association, which is reviewing what officials knew about the abuse, withdrew funding from a study of its child-protection policies in 2003, three years before its completion. Britain has done more to combat abuse than some other countries, says Mr Hartill. But still more is needed. (452 words)