EXCLUSIVE: The strange media silence over the child sexual abuse investigation into star Everton midfielder, Gylfi Sigurdsson, has continued well into the new year despite the Merseyside club battling disarray and disunity amidst a campaign that has them veering towards relegation.
The media blackout seems even stranger when headlines in recent weeks and months have reverberated around the world of football and beyond over the arrest of Manchester United winger, Mason Greenwood, for alleged rape and domestic abuse and the forced departure of former Arsenal star, Marc Overmars, from Dutch powerhouse Ajax after sending dick pics to almost a dozen female employees while the club’s director of football. Serkan Ozturk reports.
While the English Premier League (EPL) has in recent weeks rightly thrown its full institutional backing in voicing its opposition to Russia’s war in Ukraine, there remains an unholy silence when it comes to grave and serious indiscretions in its own backyard.
In July last year, just before the current season of the EPL kicked off, reports flared up across social media that star Everton attacking midfielder, Gylfi Sigurdsson, had been arrested by police investigating alleged child sexual offences.
Although the Icelandic footballer was not named by police, the social media chatter grew so loud that his club were forced into a releasing a public statement.
“Everton can confirm it has suspended a First-Team player pending a police investigation,” the statement released on July 19 reads.
“The Club will continue to support the authorities with their inquiries and will not be making any further statement at this time.”
Considering Everton only featured two 31-year-olds in their entire first team squad at the time of the statement, it wasn’t too difficult for armchair sleuths to put two-and-two together: Sigurdsson was missing in action for the club’s preseason friendlies while Everton’s other 31-year-old footballer, Fabian Delph, was passing the ball in the middle of the pitch, or at the very least warming up the team’s bench.
Delph too has managed to knock up six appearances in the EPL proper this season, while Sigurdsson remains nowhere to be seen.
Apart from True Crime News Weekly reporting about the alleged serious matters involving Sigurdsson last August – along with a few Icelandic and other little known international websites which broke the story mid-last year – very little has been published so far about the scandal which has resulted in Sigurdsson missing the entirety of the EPL season so far. That’s despite Everton finding themselves hurtling towards possible relegation from the top flight.
As Sigurdsson was only arrested, but not charged with any crimes, the UK media has been hampered so far to legally name the footballer publicly.
Soon after reports about Sigurdsson’s arrest surfaced on social media mid-last year, the footballer’s wife left their shared home and also deleted her social media accounts.
Sigurdsson meanwhile has spent the past nine months reportedly living in a safe house provided to him by police.
Two months ago, in mid-January, it was reported that Greater Manchester Police confirmed that “an unnamed Everton player who is married had his bail extended, for a third time”.
It seems that whatever is going on, Sigurdsson has not been cleared in any shape or form and that a police investigation into alleged child sexual offences is continuing.
RENEGADE RADIO: Soccer Sin Scandal Special
If the investigation had ended, the public would have heard all about it from Sigurdsson crowing about his innocence, as well as Everton who realistically require all the club’s players to prevent newly installed manager, Frank Lampard, leading the club from the Premier League down into the Championship.
What can be certain is that the scandal surrounding Sigurdsson has affected Everton to a great extent and is perhaps a large reason for why the club finds itself in the position it does on the English Premier League table this season.
“The players are highly agitated, they are not happy to be dragged into it,” a source told the UK tabloids last year.
“Senior Everton players have been contacted day and night by other Prem stars, all seeking details.”
Information about the the allegations concerning Sigurdsson has largely been constrained, apparently by the UK’s media censorship laws.
However, recent events in England and within the world of football seem to suggest there may be other factors at play.
In the nine months since Sigurdsson’s initial arrest and our True Crime News Weekly exclusive story last year, we’ve seen:
- Manchester City defender Benjamin Mendy lugged with even more rape charges, totalling seven counts;
- Manchester United winger Mason Greenwood named after being arrested on suspicion of rape and domestic assault after his alleged victim – his longtime girlfriend – released horrific photo and audio evidence on social media;
- Former Arsenal star turned football exec, Marc Overmars, named and outed as a “stalker” who was sending unwanted “dick pics” to about a dozen female employees of Dutch football giant, Ajax;
- And West Ham defender Kurt Zouma named and shamed after a video surfaced on social media showing him kicking his own cat and laughing about it in front of children, before being charged over animal crimes
But on Sigurdsson, there still remains nada. Zilch. Nothing.
The deafening silence around Sigurdsson only seems stranger when specifically compared to the case involving Greenwood; who like Sigurdsson was first named and shamed across social media, before police began an investigation, followed by an arrest, and then charges eventually placed against the wayward Manchester United winger.
Importantly, the UK media chose to identify Greenwood publicly while police were investigating the rape and domestic violence allegations, and also identified him upon his arrest before any actual charges were brought.
If it was appropriate and apt for Greenwood to be named by the English media, why not Sigurdsson too?
One can only wonder why.
Carrying a secret – even an ‘open secret’ – eventually takes it toll. Just ask Everton.
Be the first to comment