FA chairman rules out intervention in Ched Evans case

London: Football Association (FA) chairman Greg Dyke on Friday ruled out any intervention by the governing body in the case of convicted rapist Ched Evans.

Evans blamed `mob rule` for his move to Oldham collapsing on Thursday and for the first time apologised to the woman he was found guilty of raping. However, the former Sheffield United striker still maintained his innocence.

Shadow sports minister Clive Efford has urged the FA to cancel Evans` playing registration.

Dyke, speaking for the first time about the Evans situation, said: “Rape and sexual violence are abhorrent and unacceptable. This cannot be overstated.

“We have reviewed the Ched Evans case in some detail at the FA and we have examined both the legal requirements and our rules and regulations and there is no basis for us to intervene directly in this particular case.

“That said it is important that we continue to look at the issue of behaviour and attitudes within football, and recognise the unique privileges and responsibilities that come with being a participating member of the national game.

“I would encourage the game to consider and discuss this matter and the prospect for future guidelines or codes of conduct. The FA will certainly be considering it in line with our own ongoing review of what constitutes public or private communications and behaviour.”

Meanwhile, Professional Footballers` Association (PFA) chief executive Gordon Taylor on Friday apologised for comparing Evans` situation with the Hillsborough disaster.

Taylor had tried to maintain his support for Evans after the deal with Oldham collapsed on Thursday.

But instead he landed himself in trouble with an insensitive comparison to the Hillsborough disaster, which saw 96 Liverpool fans killed following a crush at the start of the FA Cup semi-final clash with Nottingham Forest in 1989.

After years of fighting by the families of those who died, new inquests into the deaths began last year and are continuing, prompting Taylor to make the point that there were examples from the past when the justice system and the police had got things wrong.

Taylor told BBC Radio Merseyside on Friday: “The last thing I intended to do was to upset anybody connected to the Hillsborough case.

“I`ve long been a supporter of them (the Hillsborough families) so if that`s the impression they got, it`s a totally wrong one and I`m very sorry for that.”

AFP