Cheshire Police have confirmed that they have received allegations of historic sexual abuse on young footballers against "more than one individual".
A number of former players have recently spoken out about being abused by former Charlton Athletic youth scout Barry Bennell, who has served multiple jail terms for sexual offences against young footballers.
However, the police have now confirmed that Bennell is not the only person who has been accused of such offences and they are currently investigating claims made by a number of former players.
"We can confirm that a growing number of disclosures have been made to Cheshire Constabulary, including referrals received from the NSPCC in relation to non-recent child sexual abuse linked to football," read a statement from Cheshire Police.
"These have included allegations made against more than one individual. Officers continue to contact all those individuals who have disclosed information.
"Cheshire Constabulary understands that this is an extremely difficult and emotive subject, and hard to talk about, but anyone who has been directly affected by this is encouraged to contact police on 101. If you don't feel you can speak to the police, or you have information that could help, you can call the NSPCC/FA helpline on 0800 023 2642."
Bennell was jailed for four years for raping a British boy at a football camp in Florida in 1994 before receiving a nine-year sentence in 1998 for 23 offences against six boys.
Barney Corkhill
