NEW SEX ABUSE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST FORMER ASTON VILLA SCOUT JAILED FOR TAKING ADVANTAGE OF YOUNG BOYS
A former Aston Villa scout is currently at the center of the latest scandal involving sexual abuse in football.Tony Brien, who played youth football in Birmingham, states that he was sexually abused by Ted Langford beginning at age 12 while he was a player for Dunlop Terriers in the city.
Langford was a scout for Aston Villa during the 1980s.
He was later convicted and sentenced to prison after admitting to sex offenses committed between 1976 and 1989—one year after he left the club.
Mr.
Brien, who never played for Aston Villa, told BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire program that he had informed the club about the abuse.
The club responded by dismissing the scout in 1988 but reportedly did not take legal action at that time.
An Aston Villa spokesperson stated that the club prioritizes the safety and well-being of all its players and staff.
The club further urged anyone with allegations or concerns related to safeguarding or potential misconduct to contact the appropriate authorities.
Langford was sentenced in 2007 to three years in prison for sexual abuse.
Following recent disclosures about abuse in the sport, Mr.
Brien has come forward publicly, choosing to waive his right to anonymity.
He recalled being abused multiple times while part of Birmingham’s Dunlop Terriers youth team from the age of 12.
He told the BBC: "[Langford] said he needed to take a sperm sample to see if I had a footballer's genes or not.
I felt ashamed and dirty." He added, "It’s something you never forget.
It will always stay in your mind." Langford also worked as a bin man, collecting trash from schools in the West Midlands.
He received a three-year prison sentence in 2007 for sexually abusing four young players in the 1970s and 80s, although Mr.
Brien was not involved in that criminal case.
Mr.
Brien described how Langford "used to have a different boy in his bed every single night" during football trips abroad organized by the scout.
He mentioned that other boys displayed "love bites" but the abuse was never discussed openly.
A different young player who traveled with one of Langford’s youth teams on a separate occasion reported a very similar experience of abuse to the BBC.
