A former Rangers and Hibernian youth coach trafficked young players across the border so he could abuse them and introduce them to other predators.
Gordon Neely, who also coached with Dundee United and Edinburgh youth side Hutchison Vale, faced accusations but was never convicted before he died of cancer in 2014, aged 62.
However, new evidence has emerged which suggests he was a prolific abuser who worked with other paedophiles in northwest England.
The Times today reports that a number of Neely’s victims have given evidence to the independent review into sexual abuse in Scottish football, with the final report due within weeks. That of course could be delayed with the coronavirus crisis but it will be published in due course.
Former @RangersFC coach trafficked children over the border to be abused. @ProfTomkins @glasgowcathcart @tedermeatballs @GordonWaddell @jon277396298 @JamesKellyLab @Sunnyclaribel 👇https://t.co/3mVuJdiiAW
— Ronnie Adidas (@_lippylipez_) March 17, 2020
Channel 4’s Chief Correspondent, who was briefed by the solicitors representing the victims of this abuse at the Celtic Boys Club, choose to focus his recent two part report on Celtic FC, completely ignoring the likes of Gordon Neely.
Of course the victims of abuse at Rangers FC (now in liquidation) have no legal recourse open to them, as the current Ibrox club have told the survivors – go see the liquidations, this has nothing to do with the current Rangers ‘holding company’ was the message.
It is interesting that it was the CLUB that won the honours (which they therefore claimed ownership of) but it was the HOLDING COMPANY that is responsible for any child abuse that happened at Rangers. Does that all seem perfectly clear and reasonable to you? No, me neither.
Malcolm Rodger is a survivor of this scandal in Scottish football. He is a Rangers supporter. He posts on Follow Follow, the Rangers forum that is one of many that seem completely obsessed with the abuse that took place at Celtic Boys Club but ignore or dismiss the position that the Rangers adopt in relation to their own sordid history in this area (among others).
Malcolm told Thomson that ultimately this is an SFA issue. He argues that ALL the abuse that occurred in Scottish football did so under the jurisdiction of the SFA and that NONE of it happened after any player signed a professional contract at a professional club.
Bravely, he agreed to speak to The Celtic Star and in doing so he has done more for the survivors than all the hundreds of thousands of sick anti-Celtic rants and chants that have been posted on the Rangers forums and chanted at their matches for many years, both as Rangers and then after that club died, as the Rangers, the successor club founded by Charles Green.
* Malcolm condemned the weaponising of child abuse among the Rangers support to simply attack Celtic.
* He exposed the solicitors who are representing the victims of child abuse at Celtic Boys Club as being loud mouths but ultimately totally failing in progressing with any legal action against Celtic FC. Their problem was mentioned at the end of Thomson’s second part of his Channel 4 report – the hatchet job on Celtic. He revealed that they are waiting on a possible change in the law that may help the no-win-no-fee lawyers insure themselves against losing and having to pay the other side’s legal fees/
* He launched a crowd funding initiative to raise £20,000 so that he could begin a legal action against the Scottish FA on behalf of all the victims so that justice and closure could be obtained. That is what the survivors want, but it is certainly not what those who enjoy weaponising child abuse at Celtic Boys Club (while ignoring abuse at Rangers FC, in liquidation) for their own ends.
Malcolm’s campaign is available to support via his Just Giving page. Donations has slowed down as a consequence to the coronavirus crisis. After a strong start, helped enormously by the contributions from the Celtic Supporters reading The Celtic Star (thank you), Malcolm’s campaign still has some way to go.
He has reached £5422 of his target of £20,000 and 309 people have so far donated. If you can spare a few quid this is a worthy cause, for a brave man who has been nothing but fair, reasonable and impressive in his dealings with The Celtic Star. You can check out his Just Giving page HERE.
