Ronnie Gibbons, former captain of Fulham Ladies, has come forward to allege that she was groped twice by the club’s late owner, Mohamed Al Fayed. The incidents allegedly happened in 2000 when Gibbons was 20 and when she was driven to Harrods by club staff. Gibbons spoke to The Athletic and said that Al Fayed tried to kiss her aggressively on their first meeting and on the second occasion he groped her. She added that speaking her truth “will hopefully help me heal and be rid of the shame, embarrassment and pain I have carried for years”.
The group, Justice for Harrods Survivors, is representing four former players of the club. Fulham FC responded to the allegations saying: “We unequivocally condemn all forms of abuse. We remain in the process of establishing whether anyone at the Club is or would have been impacted by Mohamed Al Fayed in any manner as described in recent reports.” Al Fayed owned Fulham FC between 1997 and 2013.
Last week the Metropolitan Police announced that it had received 40 new allegations by people including sexual assault and rape against Al Fayed. Furthermore, a BBC documentary and podcast provided testimony by former Harrods employees who claimed that Al Fayed sexually assaulted and raped them. Since the documentary aired, further allegations have surfaced from 65 women who claim to be victims of abuse by Al Fayed, with some allegations dating back to 1977.
The CEO of Women in Football (WIF), Yvonne Harrison, said that there were significant challenges in the female football environment and that it was essential that players be safeguarded and their voices be heard. The Justice for Harrods Survivors group saluted Gibbons’ bravery and stated that it would do whatever it could to “lift the lid on abuse, no matter where it was perpetrated, or who it was perpetrated by, including any enablers of Al-Fayed’s abhorrent behavior”. A spokesperson for Harrods said that it was “utterly appalled” by the allegations of abuse perpetrated by Al Fayed and issued an apology to his victims
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