Cardiff academy manager James McCarthy is one of two members of staff suspended amid fresh probe into bullying claims, two years after ex-Under 18s boss Craig Bellamy stood down after allegations against him
Cardiff City have launched another bullying probe into 'non-recent' claims
The club have suspended their academy manager amid the investigation
Bluebirds previously investigated Craig Bellamy regarding bullying allegations
James McCarthy and another member of staff have both been suspended
BY CRAIG HOPE FOR THE DAILY MAIL
Monday 15th March 2021
Cardiff City academy manager James McCarthy has been suspended amid the club’s fresh investigation into ‘non-recent’ bullying claims, Sportsmail can reveal.
The club released a statement over the weekend saying that two members of staff had been suspended.
And we understand that McCarthy, academy chief since 2014, is one of those who has been stood down.
Cardiff City have launched a fresh investigation into bullying within the club's academy
James McCarthy is one of two members of staff who have been suspended amid fresh bullying probe
It was on McCarthy’s watch that bullying allegations first emerged against Under 18s boss Craig Bellamy — and other coaches — in January 2019.
That led to a 10-month internal investigation which found players had been subject to an ‘unacceptable coaching environment’.
Bellamy, who denied the allegations, stood down during the probe but McCarthy remained as head of the academy.
Former Under-18 manager Craig Bellamy stood down from his position after a bullying probe
One of the parents whose son provided evidence during that investigation told us at the time: ‘The whole thing feels like a cover-up. But I always suspected that would happen, I said it from the off.
‘My feeling is that the club have made it look as if they’re doing the right thing, but really they haven’t gone anywhere near far enough.
‘They have admitted the coaching environment was unacceptable, but have they looked at the role of the academy manager, James McCarthy, in all of this? This all occurred on his watch.’
Cardiff’s head of safeguarding Rob Cronick — a former police chief — was tasked with gathering evidence by chairman Mehmet Dalman and chief executive Ken Choo. He had promised families the investigation would be ‘professional, effective and with integrity’.
The Bluebirds confirmed it has launched a new investigation into 'non-recent' bullying claims
However, the club has now seen fit to take another ‘comprehensive’ look at the treatment of players in their academy.
A statement read: ‘Cardiff City can confirm it has launched a comprehensive investigation into non-recent allegations of bullying and poor practice relating to the club’s academy.
‘The club’s head of safeguarding is conducting the investigation, in close liaison with the FA and the EFL and in line with the Affiliated Football Bodies process and statutory partner regulations.
‘It is being overseen by the club’s Cardiff City's Committee. As a result, two members of the club’s academy staff have been suspended while this internal process continues.’
Cardiff City academy manager James McCarthy has been suspended
‘It is being overseen by the club’s Cardiff City's Committee. As a result, two members of the club’s academy staff have been suspended while this internal process continues.’
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.