There's not knowing and there's not wanting to know. I doubt whether the people at the top knew what was going on, but it's also possible they didn't try very hard to find out. That might have been because they couldn't or didn't want to believe the worst of a colleague. It might have been because they didn't want to undermine the club and/or their own careers. There probably also weren't the safeguarding procedures in place that I imagine are more prevalent today - though this is not a world I am familiar with, so I'm guessing.

The club's response so far is dismaying. To say some time is needed to conduct investigations when there was a conviction of a former member of staff 18 years ago seems complacent. One would have hoped that when Bennell's behaviour came to light, there was a thorough review of what had gone on and how the welfare of young players was looked after. Even if the players who are now coming forward were asked at the time but didn't feel able to say anything, the club should be able to rattle off a list of improvements in policy and procedure that have been made since then.