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Ex-Chelsea assistant Gradi to answer claims he was aware of abuse

Adam Holt / Action Images

Crewe Alexandra's director of football Dario Gradi will face questions from the Football Association over allegations he tried to brush over a sexual assault complaint during his time as Chelsea's assistant manager in the 1970s.

The Blues have begun an investigation following revelations they paid former player Gary Johnson £50,000 to remain silent about being abused by now-deceased ex-chief scout Eddie Heath in the '70s, and it seems Gradi was aware Heath had paedophilic tendencies.

"(Gradi) came to visit my parents and me to smooth it over," an unnamed former youth player said of a 1974 meeting to The Independent's Ian Herbert, Richard AL Williams, and Jack Pitt-Brooke.

"I remember him saying something like: '(With) Eddie, (football) is his life and he gets a bit close to the boys. I'm sorry if he's overstepped the mark in his fondness this time.'"

This comes after the mother of an unnamed ex-academy player stated she sent a letter to Gradi around 1989-1990 asking him to look into the "inappropriate" findings that a Crewe staff member "took lots of boys into his room overnight" during a weekend in Blackpool.

The Cheshire outfit responded by saying there weren't enough beds for the team, according to BBC News.

Gradi, long lauded as the man chiefly responsible for Crewe's vastly successful youth system that churned out the likes of Danny Murphy, Dean Ashton, and David Vaughan in the 1990s, will now be subject to a probe from the country's football authorities over his apparent complicity in both Heath's conduct and goings-on at Crewe.

On Tuesday, a Crewe spokesperson said Gradi intends to "fully cooperate with the FA," according to the Guardian's Daniel Taylor.

Crewe has been implicated in the child abuse scandal from when it gathered momentum last month following Andy Woodward's account of the treatment he received from serial paedophile and ex-youth coach Barry Bennell at the club.

Since then, over 20 ex-professional footballers have offered their own stories of abuse they allegedly suffered - including Tuesday's disclosure from Southampton legend Matt Le Tissier that he received a "naked" message during his early days with the Saints.

Eighteen police forces are believed to be investigating as many as 55 clubs over the reported criminal activity, both historic and current, of their employees.

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