A claim has been lodged over historic accusations against a former caretaker
The civil claim alleges that the club failed to protect the claimant from abuse
The civil claim alleges that the club failed to protect the claimant from abuse
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Manchester United is facing legal action over a historic sexual abuse allegation against a former employee.
The allegation is understood to relate to Billy Watts, a former caretaker and groundsman at the club’s Cliff training ground in Salford during the 1980s.
Watts, who died in 2009, has been accused of subjecting the male victim to 'sexual and physical abuse when he was a child'.
The civil claim alleges that the club failed to protect the claimant from abuse while he was under their care and supervision. The civil claim has been issued in court by Simpson Millar Solicitors.
Lawyers have claimed the club has so far declined to 'engage constructively' with the legal process, despite its previous participation in the 2021 Sheldon Review, which documented multiple allegations of abuse involving Watts and confirmed internal disciplinary action against him in 1989.
Sports website The Athletic previously reported that Watts was moved to a role away from the club's youth team players following the internal disciplinary action.
In a statement at the time, United said 'multiple interviews' had been conducted with employees in relation to the allegations and that information and available records had been submitted to the Sheldon Review - The Football Association's independent review into child sexual abuse in football.
The 2021 report, headed by Clive Sheldon KC, referred to accusations that 'concerned a caretaker at the club, who is now deceased'.
The Manchester Evening News has contacted Manchester United for a response. The club declined to comment.
Simpson Millar did not confirm whether the complainant – who cannot be named for legal reasons – had been a youth player at United.
Kate Hall, Abuse Law Expert at Simpson Millar, said: “Our client has shown enormous courage in coming forward after so many years. He, like many survivors, has had to relive incredibly painful memories in order to seek justice.
“While Manchester United contributed to the Sheldon Review, its approach to this legal claim has been disappointing. Survivors deserve more than sympathy—they deserve meaningful engagement and accountability.”
Simpson Millar have also claimed the case 'exposes a clear gap between the public commitments made by institutions following historic abuse inquiries and their private handling of individual claims'.
At the time of the Sheldon Review, a statement issued by United said: "We have cooperated fully with the Sheldon review in an effort to make sure we were as comprehensive on this important matter as we could be. This involved conducting multiple interviews as part of our wide-ranging enquiries pursuant to the review.
"These included a former employee who had conducted the disciplinary process against the former caretaker in the 1980s, and other current and former employees who worked at the club in the ’70s and ’80s."All interviewees provided their full cooperation and information relating to the former caretaker has been included in Manchester United’s submissions to the review.
"Identifying facts from historical allegations is never an easy process and their report will include any issues relating to Manchester United that are considered relevant by the review team."