Al Fayed Scandal: New Allegations Linked to Fulham FC

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Facts

  • The late Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of both British department store Harrods and soccer team Fulham FC, is facing new allegations of sexual abuse related to his ownership of the soccer club from 1997-2013.[1]
  • The legal group Justice for Harrods Survivors, which already represents 60 alleged victims, said that they have now received over 200 inquiries from additional victims on accusations including serial rape, attempted rape, sexual assault, and sexual abuse of minors.[2][3][4]
  • Gaute Haugenes, who managed Fulham from 2001-2003, suggested that players on the Fulham women's team, which was created under Al Fayed's ownership, weren't allowed to be alone with him.[2][4]
  • A doctor who used to work for Al Fayed, Dr. Ann Coxon, has also been questioned about allegations made by multiple women that she conducted sexual health exams for Harrods staff, which she denies.[1]
  • The Metropolitan Police announced that 19 women had previously filed police reports between 2005 and 2023 regarding alleged incidents that took place from 1979-2013.[5][2]
  • In response, both Fulham FC, which was sold to US billionaire Shahid Khan in 2013, and Harrods, now owned by a Qatari state-run investment firm, have announced their own investigations into the matter.[6][7]

Sources: [1]Guardian, [2]The Telegraph, [3]New York Times (a), [4]BBC News, [5]Sky Sports, [6]Verity and [7]New York Times (b).

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by Independent. Mohamed Al Fayed will go down as among the most notorious abusers in recent history. His money and power, particularly as the owner of Harrods, allowed him to build a dangerously toxic work environment where he could abuse women with impunity. It's tragic that due to this power, his victims only felt capable of speaking up after his death.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Socialist Worker. This case goes beyond a toxic work environment and to the top of British society. It's no wonder that the man who had financial ties to members of parliament and had a relationship with the former Duke of Windsor was never prosecuted. Women were likely kept quiet not just by their powerful boss but by the entire upper echelon of British society — this is an issue of deep systemic abuse.