EXCLUSIVE: Ahead of yet another Old Firm derby this weekend, more evidence is emerging that there existed a tight-knit paedophile ring in elite British football for decades that even crossed the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers. Gary Johnston investigates.
Last month, True Crime News Weekly published an article about the appalling abuse of young, aspirant sportsmen – children – which has shamed Scottish football. It’s a story which media publications in that country have widely shunned, on the basis of so-called “abuse fatigue” and a deplorable view that being amenable to fans is more important than the truth, in all its ugly detail.
Since then, we have been inundated with further details about the extent of the scandal, details which go a long way to providing evidence that, shockingly, yet ironically not surprisingly, there may well have been a decades long paedophile ring operating amongst youth coaches, aided and abetted – if not actually enabled – by some of the biggest names in the Scottish game.
Over the past three years, alone amongst Australian news media, True Crime News Weekly has reported on a number of shocking sex abuse revelations in British football, including a one-on-one interview with Andy Woodward, the player who, in his book, Position of Trust, first revealed harrowing details about the abuse he suffered and its long-term effects on his mental health and wellbeing.
Woodward’s abuser was the notorious Barry Bennell, a junior football coach and youth scout with known connections to some of the biggest names in the round ball game, including global giant Manchester City, who is now serving a total of 34 years in an English prison in relation to numerous charges of indecent assault and ‘buggery’ – the antiquated British legal term for anal rape.
During this publication’s interview with Andy Woodward, mention was made of Bennell’s numerous connections and networks within the game, with reference to stories and suspicions that young vulnerable players were habitually ‘swapped and shared’ amongst other degenerate youth coaches, all of whom practised the age old tactic of entrapment; promising fame and fortune by shamelessly exploiting their self-appointed status as ‘king makers’.
Unrepentant paedophile youth football coach Barry Bennell (Image: Supplied)
And it’s here where the story takes an even more sinister turn.
According to a source who contacted True Crime News Weekly on the guarantee of anonymity – a youth coach from that time who, like the vast majority of people who performed that function, someone who genuinely cared about the game and the young men who aspired to play it – Gordon Neely, the serial sex abuser who featured in our previous story, was a close confidante and friend of Barry Bennell.
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This of course, is the Gordon Neely who was ‘let go’ by Glasgow giants Rangers after a secret showdown with the then-manager, Graeme Souness, and his assistant, Walter Smith, but due to no further action being taken, had license to continue his abuse of children up until his death from cancer in 2014.
Despite claims to the contrary, it now seems crystal clear that Rangers did not involve the police in an investigation of Neely’s conduct, and, as such, must accept some legal responsibility; a factor complicated by the fact that as Rangers FC went into liquidation in 2012 and the current reformed club have thus been able to shrug off the litigation process, with all that entails.
Prolific paedophile football coach Gordon Neely (Image: Supplied)
Indeed, not only does it seem Rangers FC did not pass on Neely’s details to the Scottish police, but evidence has also now emerged that they gave him what’s often referred to as a ‘golden handshake’ – a cash remuneration. Added to that was also a friendly write up in the official Rangers publication, The Rangers News, describing him, entirely without irony as, a “huge influence’ on various player’s careers.”
Neely had a prepared story ready for those who inquired about his departure: once again, truth is stranger than fiction – he told people he was considered an embarrassment to the club because he was “too fat” to look professional in the club blazer.
Irony apart, information provided to this publication strongly suggests Neely’s perverted predilections were well known in the game for decades prior to his tenure at Rangers, with many young players and officials fully aware that Neely’s favourite haunt and locale was the changing rooms where young players undressed, rather than the touchline, the place where legitimate coaches did their work.
Further sources meanwhile have backed up claims originally published by True Crime News Weekly last month that suggested Neely’s talents for recognising young football ability was initially appreciated at Dundee United where he first made the acquaintance of Walter Smith. One source alleged:
“Gordon was involved for years up there. Walter Smith, Jim McLean (Dundee United manager) and Gordon Wallace (coach) all came down to Edinburgh to coach with Gordon Neely most weekends.”
Newspaper headlines about “star man” Gordon Neely’s departure from Rangers (Image: Supplied)
At the time of writing, despite the overwhelming evidence but no doubt due to the threat of litigation, Dundee United are continuing to deny that Gordon Neely was ever employed by them in any capacity.
Despite its status and worldwide reputation, the world of football is a relatively small one – it was even smaller in the 1990’s – and therefore it is hard to believe that there was no sharing of information – and sadly sharing of a more sordid nature – between the perverted coaches with influence operating at the top level.
That Neely was personally acquainted with Bennell is a huge red flag which, while not in itself evidence of abuse, certainly asks a number of questions only one man alive can answer.
And given that Barry Bennell was described at his trial as “a man with zero remorse,” who will almost certainly die in custody, he’s not likely to be providing a response any time soon.
There were links between the paedophile youth football coaches at Scottish rivals Rangers and Celtic for decades (Image: Supplied)
Yet Bennell wasn’t the only child rapist friend whom Neely was close to.
Information has been received by this publication with regard to the developing narrative of a paedophile ring operating in British football, one which even crosses the great divide between bitter Glasgow rivals, Rangers and Celtic.
It has now also become apparent that a man called Frank Cairney, a coach at the notorious Celtic Boy’s Club currently facing numerous sex abuse charges in the Scottish courts, ‘arranged’ for young players from the Celtic Boy’s Club to train and subsequently be signed up at Rangers FC’s Ibrox Stadium.
All under the watch and direction of none other than Gordon Neely.
Is it simply a sheer coincidence that all these paedophile football coaches knew each other, and even shared youth players?
This story is not nearing its end.
In some way, it’s only beginning.
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