Gary Johnson, the former player who was paid £50,000 by Chelsea not to go public with allegations that he was sexually abused by their former chief scout Eddie Heath, has demanded further financial compensation from the club.
Johnson was a member of Chelsea’s first team from 1978 to 1981 after joining the club as an 11-year-old in 1970. The 57-year-old spoke out recently to say he was groomed from the age of 13 by Heath, who was the Chelsea’s chief scout from 1968 to 1979 and has subsequently died.
It was reported shortly after that Chelsea had paid Johnson “hush money” in exchange for not going public with his allegations last year. Speaking on the BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire show on Thursday morning, the former striker described the £50,000 as “not enough for the pain and suffering I’ve had”, adding: “It [the abuse] took away my childhood – I can never get that back.”
Asked if he deserved more, Johnson replied: “Yes. It would help me build a better life. I was pushed into a corner and told I had to sign it to get the money”.
Johnson met with three Chelsea directors on Wednesday and said to Victoria Derbyshire that they had apologised for what happened to him during his formative years at the club but that ultimately the gesture is of little meaning, describing it as “ too little, too late”.
