Former
Chelsea player Gary Johnson has said he was paid £50,000 by the Premier
League club not to go public with allegations that he was sexually abused by
the club's former chief scout Eddie Heath.
It was reported earlier this week that Chelsea had made a payment to an
individual in the last three years following allegations regarding Heath.
Johnson has waived his anonymity to say he was the former player in
question.
"I think that they were paying me to keep a lid on this," Johnson said in
the Daily Mirror, which reported that Chelsea had now waived the
confidentiality clause in Johnson's settlement, which was made last year.
"Millions of fans around the world watch Chelsea. They are one of the
biggest and richest clubs in the world.
"All their fans deserve to know the truth about what went on. I know they
asked me to sign a gagging order and how many others are there out there?
"They may have paid others for their silence. I hope and pray no clubs are
allowed to cover this up - no one should escape justice.
"We need total transparency now for the good of the game. What makes me so
angry is that I went to them to say I had been abused and they basically
said, 'prove it'."
Chelsea said on Tuesday they had appointed an external law firm to carry out
a formal investigation into a former employee, with the club refusing to
comment on any of the details.
A club statement said: "Chelsea Football Club has retained an external law
firm to carry out an investigation concerning an individual employed by the
club in the 1970s, who is now deceased.
"The club has also contacted the FA to ensure that all possible assistance
is provided as part of their wider investigation. This will include
providing the FA with any relevant information arising out of the club's
investigation."
FA chief executive Martin Glenn said on Thursday any club guilty of "hushing
up" sexual abuse to protect their image would be punished.
Johnson, 57, was a member of Chelsea's first team from 1978 to 1981, but
joined the club as an 11-year-old in 1970 and claimed he had been groomed
from the age of 13 by Heath.
"I felt shame, I felt my childhood had been taken away," Johnson said. "I
spent my late teens in turmoil, absolute turmoil."
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