The scandal of child abuse that upsets English football.
After two decades of silence, former English footballer Andy Woodward revealed in an interview with the BBC that he had been sexually abused early in his career. The accused was a technician.
First to speak openly about such abuses in Britain, Woodward had the example followed by other athletes: Steve Walters and Paul Stewart.
British police said 11 other players had come in contact to talk about abuse, and the Professional Football Players Association fears that the number of athletes affected will be much higher.
Woodward waived the right to anonymity, guaranteed to victims of sexual abuse in the country, to tell in detail what happened when playing in the base categories of the Crewe Alexandra - team in the northwest of England.
He came to the club at the age of 11 thanks to Barry Bennell, one of Crewe's coaches, who had seen Woodward play a local league match against the Stockport Boys.
The former player said that "three or four weeks later" was invited to spend some time in the coach's house.
This, he said, was the beginning of a four-year series of abuses that had a "catastrophic" impact on his life.
Woodward explained that he did not make the complaint at the time because Bennell threatened him, stating that he would never be a professional player.
"That was the control he had. All I wanted to be was a football player," he told the BBC.
In 1998, Bennell was sentenced to nine years in prison after admitting that he had sexually abused six boys aged 9 to 15 years.
Woodward believes that this punishment does not do justice to his years of suffering - he reports that he had to deal with a serious state of depression, suicidal thoughts and panic attacks.
After playing professionally at Crewe, Bury and Sheffield United, Woodward retired from football in 2002 at the age of 29.
'It was unbearable'
Woodward's statements were the inspiration for other players to tell their stories, such as Steve Walters and Paul Stewart.
Walters, who was the youngest player to debut in Crewe in 1988, spoke to The Guardian about what happened when he was under Bennell's command.
"I want to put an end to this phase of my life and it will help me to move on," he said. Walters, whose case was not part of the lawsuit against the coach.
"It was unbearable, but just reading the article with Andy (Woodward) feels like I took a huge load off of myself. I had to do that, and I hope it helps more people take that step."
One of those people was Stewart. The former Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool player told Mirror that a coach abused him daily for four years - and threatened to kill his family in case of complaint.
'Disappointment'
Barry Bennell, 62, was found unconscious in Stevenage, a town north of London, and taken to a hospital on Friday.
There are still few details about the incident.
Crewe's president John Bowler said in a conversation with BBC Sport editor Dan Roan that he was "possessed and disappointed" with Bennell's crimes.
But when asked what he might have done at that time, where he also ran the club, he asked for the conclusions of the internal investigations to be awaited.
Gordon Taylor, president of the professional players' union, said the real extent of the scandal will be known, but it has been estimated that the number of victims will reach double digits.
Woodward lamented the lack of support he received from Crewe, now the fourth division of English football, and the culture of secrecy and protectionism that prevails in football.
"There was nothing, it's like trash that's swept under the rug," he said.
The authorities reported that, although they had been searched by several people, there were no arrests or the opening of a formal investigation. But they made themselves available to advise and support those affected.