Man Utd made paedo boss ‘special guest’ at recent match – despite his ban for assaulting girls

Man Utd made convicted paedo boss Geoff Konopka ‘special guest’ at a recent match – despite his ban for assaulting girls.

The Times report that Manchester United had been allegedly unaware the 79 year old was a convicted paedophile when they invited him to Old Trafford as a special guest for the game in March last year.

This was where he was in attendance for a Women’s Super League game to watch the team play against Everton at home, with thousands of children in the crowd.

Konopka, who had previously been in charge of the Manchester United Ladies from 1983 until 2001, was sentenced to four years in prison in 2011 having been convicted of indecent assault and gross indecency against girls aged under 16 and 14, but was put on the sex offenders’ register for a decade.

I’ll say it again. What on earth is going on at Manchester United Football Club. pic.twitter.com/JjoBhO8cuf

— george (@StokeyyG2) September 7, 2023

In 2022, he was invited by the club to visit as a ‘special guest’ celebrated for his early involvement in women’s football.

Man Utd also celebrated his career by featuring him in the Old Trafford museum despite Konopka being listed as on ‘active suspension’ with the Football Association’s safeguarding system, which banned him from coaching or working with any team.

The club now say it ‘will have no further connection’ with Konopka and reportedly contacted the legal and football authorities ‘as a matter of urgency’.

Konopka was invited along with a former United Ladies player, but now there is a growing demand for a public apology from Konopka for painting him as ‘the “hero” behind their sporting achievements’ and for allowing him to attend the game as a ‘guest of honour’.

The match in March smashed attendance records with more than 20,000 fans having turned up to support the club – much of those being young girls watching with their parents.

History being made at Old Trafford #mufc #Everton #WSL #ViewFromSeat #SirBobbyCharltonStand 🏟🥰 pic.twitter.com/tovoaBTQFT

— Kerry Louise (@KerryKez7) March 27, 2022

A number of former United Ladies players put this to the club, bringing up Konopka’s convictions and sent emails to the club’s safeguarding co-ordinator after he was was seen on a promotional article on United’s website in July.

In one email to the club, a complainant said: “The women’s game is ever evolving and there are a lot of vulnerable girls wanting to pursue their dreams who will be reading and looking at your website and possibly looking at him as a role model.

“I am sickened and disgusted to see this vile man online.”

The women stated how shocked and disgusted they were, claiming ‘paraded hand-in-hand with Manchester United’.

The players also disputes how Man Utd portrayed their treatment, claiming it was actually a ‘misogynistic’ and ‘woman-hating club’.

It is also alleged that Konopka made them feel uncomfortable when in charge of the side, with one claiming he’d enter the changing rooms without knocking, though he strongly denies this, describing it as a ‘pack of lies’.

Konopka recognised that he served prison time for the offences, which he claimed were ‘historical’ and took place around 30 years before being sentenced, meaning crimes happened before he was associated with the club.

‘I never, ever entered the dressing room without knocking and never entered before I knew that everyone was changed and decent,’ he told the newspaper.

Konopka’s successes was removed on Tuesday along with any mention of his name from museum displays, say reports.

United insist there were ‘no breaches of its safeguarding obligations’ and issued ‘heartfelt sympathy’ towards the victims of Konopka’s crimes.

The club said in a statement to the newspaper: ‘Manchester United has recently received information around these convictions, and as a matter of urgency has been in contact with the relevant legal and football authorities to substantiate the facts.

‘The club has taken appropriate action after receiving this information and will have no further connection with the individual. Manchester United expresses its heartfelt sympathy to the victims and all those affected by these abhorrent crimes.’

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Other pages you can see on trauma, post-traumatic stress disorder and self-esteem might also be helpful.

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