London’s Metropolitan police officers are looking at 106 separate allegations of child abuse abuse at football clubs in the British capital.
Officers said the allegations were linked to individuals at 32 named clubs or teams in London, including four in the Premier League.
Two allegations have been made against Championship clubs, three against clubs in Leagues One and Two and 21 other clubs, the Met said.
The announcement from Scotland Yard comes after the former Crewe defender Andy Woodward broke his silence to tell the Guardian that he had been a victim of sexual abuse as a child.
DCS Ivan Balhatchet, of the Met’s sexual offence, exploitation and child abuse command, said: “The Met take all allegations seriously, and specialist officers will work through the information passed to them.
“The number of referrals, pieces of information and allegations will change. Officers will continue to work through the information that has been reported.”
The Met refused to name the clubs involved or to give details about the nature or number of the allegations.
The Football Association has appointed Clive Sheldon QC, an expert in the field, to investigate the scandal, which currently occupies 21 different police forces across the UK.
