A child sex abuse scandal in England seems to have been larger than originally thought. Police in that country have been flooded with calls from victims alleging they were abused as children in football. The Football Association is investigating, and the head of the organizatin, Martin Glenn believes it is unlikely there was an organized attempt to "cover up" sexual abuse in the game but has promised to punish any club found guilty of doing so "regardless of size".

The statement came after a dedicated NSPCC helpline for football received 860 calls in its first week and 15 police forces around the country have confirmed they are investigating fresh allegations of historical abuse. When asked about reports that some clubs may have paid off alleged victims in return for their silence on the matter, Glenn said this would be investigated by both the police and the FA's independent review.

"I don't need to use hyperbole, this is a really serious issue for football and for society and I think we can only control what we can control and I think with the FA taking the lead and saying we are going to open ourselves up, we are going to lay bare whatever decisions the FA might have made 25 years ago, have it independently reviewed, do the same, same expectations from clubs, then that's all we can do. But I think it is a big thing to do and I think it is the right thing to do," said Martin Glenn.