WITH all we know about paedophiles, it should be no surprise at all that we are now uncovering abuse of mammoth proportions in the football world.

Unfortunately, a couple of obvious elements mean this was a scandal always waiting to happen.

Paedophiles are very clever, devious individuals who gravitate to places where children gather to give them unrestricted access. Sadly, sport is one of them and taking coaching badges simply opens the doors.

The structure of professional football and the pressure on clubs to both succeed and to retain their reputations also means incidents and information may be repressed. Just witness the appalling case of Gary Johnson, a Chelsea FC player in the ‘70s, who was paid £50,000 last year not to go public with allegations he was sexually abused by its former chief scout, Eddie Heath.

Chelsea legend Alan Hudson even said it was “common knowledge” that players were abused while Heath was at the club. And several former players have now come forward from other clubs to claim abuse by specific individuals directly involved with young players.

Former England captain Alan Shearer has urged footballers to come forward with any allegations of sexual abuse at any time and, of course, ideally this would be best.

But paedophiles know both how to influence their young charges not to reveal anything and how to charm parents and those in charge not to look their way. So, youngsters with dreams of being professional players, and parents who may have similar plans for their children, remain single-minded – and silent.

While football clubs may well need to clean up their own houses as far as all those involved with the welfare of young people is concerned, it would be a major mistake to believe this only happens in this sport.

Throughout modern times there have been allegations of individuals with authority taking advantage of this to gratify their own sexual needs with youngsters involved in many sports.

Club and sporting organisations certainly need both to tighten up their own rules and to find ways of policing coaching far more carefully. It is also, though, up to parents to keep their eyes open and their instincts alert for anything that doesn’t seem quite right.

Don’t be fooled by golden promises for your child’s sporting future. While in most cases they are honestly offered, they can mask something far more sinister that is happening right now.