Bohemians issued a statement saying they are launching an investigation into the claims of former manager Roddy Collins that he told a club official he had concerns there was a paedophile working at the club two decades ago.
Roddy Collins told the Star today that when he was manager of Bohemians back in the late 90s, he walked in on club volunteer Colin Goggin giving a semi-naked boy a massage in the physio room.
Collins said he spoke to an official at the club about the incident and was told it would be looked into.
Bohs released a statement tonight in which they say they've interviewed people who were involved with the club around that time. However, they say that club officials who were around in 1998 deny that Collins ever mentioned such an incident to them.
We immediately began investigating these allegations so far as this is possible given the lapse of time.
We have already spoken at length today and yesterday to individuals involved at board level, the youth set-up and other areas of the club at the time of the alleged incident.
We will continue to consult with parties involved and appeal to any individual who has concerns, or may have more information, to come forward to speak to us and/or Mountjoy Garda Station.
But contrary to Mr Collins’ assertions, club officials involved in 1998 insist he never communicated any allegations of such nature to them...
However, the accused individual was indeed investigated by officers at Mountjoy Garda Station over an incident with a minor, who was not a member of the Bohemian FC youth set-up or affiliated to the club, which is alleged to have taken place in Dalymount Park in 1998 and was quickly reported to the Gardaí by the child’s father.
The safety of children is of utmost importance to Bohemian FC. As such, when notified of this investigation, the accused was immediately removed from his position and had no further affiliation with the club.
You can read the rest of the statement on the Bohemians website.
Seventeen years later in 2015, Colin Goggin was jailed for sexaully abusing two teenage boys who he met through athletics. He was also in possession of child pornography.
