Football sex abuse scandal: Former Southampton boss Lawrie McMenemy ‘disgusted’ over Bob Higgins allegations at South Coast club
McMenemy, 80, set up coaching network under which Higgins is alleged to have abused young players
LAWRIE McMENEMY says he is “disgusted and horrified” at the allegations of sexual abuse at Southampton.
The former Saints boss admitted he set up the coaching network under which it is alleged scout Bob Higgins took advantage of his position to abuse young kids.
McMenemy said: “As a parent, never mind a football manager, I am absolutely disgusted and horrified.
“I have every sympathy with the victims. I have to congratulate Andy Woodward, the lad who came forward first.
“I watched him on TV and you could see the effect it had had on him.”
SunSport reported yesterday that former Saints star Matt Le Tissier was forced to undergo “disgusting” naked massages when he was a youth player at the club.
Higgins left Saints in 1989 but then began the first of two spells in Malta, where he is alleged to have continued to prey on young footballers.
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An anonymous former youth player has told Maltese TV that Higgins used to shower naked with teenage players and touch their legs — with a Whitney Houston CD playing in the background — while he was employed by the Malta FA.
But the Malta FA insists it was unaware of any allegations of sexual misconduct against Higgins while he was employed between 1989 and 1990 as well 1992 and 1994.
MFA president Norman Darmanin Demajo said Higgins had started work there in July 1989 — only three months after he left Southampton.
At the time, the Football League sent out a letter warning clubs in England against working with him.
Demajo said the MFA had suspended Higgins in January 1990 when allegations of sexual abuse emerged in England but re-employed him in 1992 after a judge had directed his acquittal on six charges of sexual offences against boys.
Higgins was appointed as Malta’s national youth development officer and it was during this period that the former player claimed the unsettling incidents occurred in relation to a squad of 13 and 14-year-olds.
Demajo claimed Higgins had been arrested at the MFA’s Ta’Qali Stadium in front of players and parents and that the head of the technical centre, Father Hilary Tagliaferro, later called a meeting at which he asked parents to question their children about Higgins’ behaviour towards them.
Higgins, who went on to work at Peterborough after returning from Malta, has always denied all allegations against him.
McMenemy, who is adamant no complaint reached him while he was in charge between 1973 and 1985, added: “When I arrived there was not really any money for transfers and I decided we needed to look for young players.
“In about 1975, I set up centres in Tyneside, Bristol and the London area — they would probably be called academies these days.
“In the North East and Bristol I appointed my own scouts and ex-pros to do the work.
“We knew that Bob Higgins was already doing his own thing in London and had his own school.
“Because he was in the south we sort of joined up gradually and added it to the production line.”
HIGGINS TIMELINE
BOB HIGGINS was the man dubbed the ’star finder’ when he was working at Southampton in the 1980s.
He helped bring through future England internationals such as Alan Shearer and Matt Le Tissier in his time with the south coast club.
But he was also accused of indecent assaults against young players, leading to court cases.
1985: A teenaged Le Tissier joins Southampton, where Higgins is employed in the youth set-up.
April 1989: Higgins leaves Saints. The same month, the Football League sends a letter to all clubs warning them to steer clear of the Bob Higgins Soccer Academy.
1992: Higgins is cleared of indecent assault charges relating to incidents between 1985 and 1989.
May 1995: Higgins joins Peterborough United as youth team manager.
April 1996: Higgins leaves Peterborough “by mutual consent”.
1997: Higgins is investigated by film-makers from Channel 4’s Dispatches — and denies the accusations.
1997: Hampshire Police and the county’s social services send out a warning letter about Higgins.
2001: Higgins is sacked as manager of non-league Bashley and goes on to boss Winchester City.
2012: Fleet Town hire Higgins but admit he was not police-checked as he did not work with children. He no longer works there.
December 2016: Six former Saints youth players, including Dean Radford, Billy Seymour and Jamie Webb, reveal they have named Higgins to police.
December 2016: Le Tissier lifts the lid on the “disgusting” naked massages to which he was subjected as a youngster there.
At that time, clubs could not sign schoolboys until they were 14 years old and were then able to offer apprentice contracts at the age of 16.
Higgins and the other lead coaches and scouts from the three centres would bring their best players for training camps in the school holidays, staying in B&Bs in the Southampton area while the side took trips to play in the Gothia Cup tournament in Gothenburg.
It was up to McMenemy and his staff, including youth team manager Dave Merrington, to decide which players to offer apprenticeships.
But it is understood a youth team player made a complaint to Merrington in the late 80s, a number of years after McMenemy left the club and not long before Higgins suddenly stopped working for Southampton.
A source revealed: “Dave Merrington was driving the youth team back from a game and heard some laughter and banter going on.
“Dave dropped the boys off at various places until there was only one left.
“He asked him what it had all been about and the kid broke down and told him about something that had happened. Dave reported it to the manager, Chris Nicholl.”
Merrington confirmed the story and told the BBC: “I had heard rumours about young players being massaged naked when we played other teams. That disturbed me.
“When I heard the banter on the minibus I felt there is something in what I have been hearing. They were doing it in a joking way but I didn’t like it. There were things obviously going on.”
Merrington believed he had done all he could by reporting his concerns. It is unclear what happened to that information and whether it was Southampton who passed it on to the police.
But a member of the Hampshire force is said to have told a member of Saints staff he had a file on Higgins, who abruptly left in 1989.
Whatever the chain of events, in 1992 Higgins was charged with six sexual offences against boys but was acquitted on the direction of a judge.
It has since emerged the Football League sent out a letter warning clubs about working with Higgins’ academy in April 1989 — the month Higgins left Saints.
And in recent weeks six former Saints youth team players are said to have spoken to Hampshire Police and named Higgins, who has always denied all allegations.
McMenemy, who went on to manage Sunderland and be Graham Taylor’s No 2 at England, has been appalled by the wider revelations about football’s secret shame.
Who knew what and when will be at the centre of the investigatory review commissioned by the FA into the sickening scandal.
Southampton will be far from alone in coming under scrutiny.
But the club’s reputation as one of Europe’s greatest developers of young football talent will now be tainted forever.
Leicester and Aston Villa have also been drawn into the scandal.
The FA’s investigation is set to probe incidents involving Ted Langford, a former scout at both clubs.
Langford, now dead, was jailed in 2007 for the sexual abuse of four young players in the 70s and 80s.
Villa confirmed they “co-operated fully with the authorities” during the original police investigation, while Leicester insist they are not aware of any allegations.
And yesterday three Chelsea directors — including chairman Bruce Buck — met former player Gary Johnson to say sorry in person for the sexual abuse he suffered while at the club.
The Blues had paid Johnson £50,000 hush money after claims he was sexually assaulted by former scout Eddie Heath, who is now dead.
Meanwhile, former Celtic youth coach Jim McCafferty has been arrested in Northern Ireland over allegations of sexual offences against children.
McCafferty worked for Celtic as a scout, kit man and youth team coach between 1990 and 1996, before holding posts at other clubs including Hibs and Falkirk.
He now lives in Belfast and a spokesperson for the Police Service of Northern Ireland said: “A 71-year-old male has been arrested by detectives after presenting himself at a station in Belfast.
“He was arrested on suspicion of sexual offences against children in Northern Ireland. He is currently helping police with their enquiries.”