Sheldon, however, highlighted a number of concerns regarding Gradi. Sheldon said in his 710-page report that, in an interview with Gradi, the 79-year-old did not understand that placing a hand down someone else’s trousers amounted to assault. Sheldon also noted that Gradi’s own habit of having young boys stay at his house “normalised” such inappropriate behaviour at Crewe and enabled Bennell to regularly have children stay at his own home.
Gradi has also admitted that he did not report allegations made against Eddie Heath, a former scout at Chelsea, in the mid-1970s because he feared it would land his colleague in trouble.
“I’ve concluded that Dario Gradi ought to have monitored what was going on, and he ought to have spoken to the boys who were staying with Bennell to see if they were OK,” Sheldon said. “Had he done that it may well be that they would have told him of the abuse that they were suffering.”