THE Football Association was blamed for failing to "keep children safe" in the long-awaited report into child sexual abuse in the sport, which examined paedophile coach Barry Bennell's relationship with Crewe Alex.

Among barrister Clive Sheldon's 710-page 'Independent Review into Child Sexual Abuse in Football 1970-2005', which was published today, is the conclusion that football's governing body was "too slow" to enact sufficient child protection measures after 1995 when incidents of abuse fell into the courts, including Bennell's guilty plea in a U.S court to a charge of sexually abusing a child he had taken on a football tour.

Bennell, who had spells as a youth coach and scout at Crewe in the 1980s, before leaving in 1992, is currently serving a 34-year prison sentence for sexual offences against young footballers under his charge, that were dealt with by court cases in 2018 and most recently in October of last year.

Bennell, 66, was described by the presiding judge in the 2018 case as "the devil incarnate" and "sheer evil". He was also convicted of child abuse in 1995, 1998 and 2015.

As well as Bennell, who was also associated with Manchester City and Stoke City, and at the time he first came under the radar of police, Stone Dominoes, Sheldon's review, looked at the offences of other football coaches, including Southampton's Bob Higgins, also jailed for his offences, and Kit Carson, who was connected with Norwich and Peterborough, but who died before court proceedings were completed.

On Bennell and Crewe, Sheldon agreed with a Cheshire Police investigation that there was no evidence "to corroborate" the club were aware of what Bennell was doing, but he stated that in his view "there were enough warning signs for ...[Crewe] to have done more".

The QC said he was satisfied that rumours circulating about Bennell and his sexual interest in children were heard by some of the club's staff and that concerns over the coach were not followed through when Crewe's former chairman Norman Rowlinson was told by a senior police officer to keep "a watching brief" on him.

Sheldon stated that there should have been periodic checks that boys who "stayed over" at Bennell's home were being properly cared for as that might have led to disclosures.

Both Manchester City and Stoke were also reprimanded for not taking steps to monitor Bennell's activities.

Sheldon says he was satisfied that Crewe and the other clubs involved, including Chelsea, Southampton and Aston Villa, had "sought to find the truth as to what took place".

But of the FA's failure to embrace child protection issues he reported: "These are significant institutional failings for which there is no excuse."

FA Chief Executive Mark Bullingham offered "a heartfelt apology" and said: "No child should ever have experienced the abuse you did."

As a result of his review, Sheldon has recommended safeguarding training is introduced across football and safeguarding officers employed by all Premier League and EFL clubs.

Bennell, who is not eligible for parole until 2035, has been convicted of sexual abuse against 22 boys in all, although many more victims are understood to have come forward.