POLICE Scotland is investigating 130 reports of child sexual abuse in football.
The figure emerged as former Crewe Alexandra coach Barry Bennell was charged with a further 14 counts of historic sex abuse against boys as young as 11.
In Scotland, a review into historic incidents of abuse in Scottish football is ready to begin the “crucial yet sensitive” stage of information gathering.
Preparatory work has been concluded for the review commissioned by the Scottish Football Association (SFA) and is chaired by Martin Henry.
The sport has been rocked by claims from former players across the UK they were abused by people in positions of authority.
Barry Bennell, 63, has been accused of a total of 55 offences between 1979 and 1991 against young boys.
He has previously denied the accusations during a succession of court appearances.
Four complainants who were aged between 11 and 14 at the time of the alleged offences are the subject of the latest charges, which include indecent assault and buggery, the CPS said.
The accusations are four counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 14, four counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 12 and two counts of indecent assault on a boy aged 11 to 13.
He is also charged with four counts of buggery on a boy aged 11 to 14.
Bennell will appear at South Cheshire Magistrates’ Court via video-link on June 28, prosecutors said.
Last month he appeared before Crewe Magistrates’ Court, where a further 21 child sex offences were put to him on top of the 20 for which he was already awaiting trial.
The former Crewe Alexander coach did not enter a plea to the new charges.
They were 18 counts of indecent assault, two counts of buggery and one count of attempted buggery against four boys, aged between 10 and 14, between December 1983 and November 1991.
All the alleged offences are said to have taken place either in Crewe, Derbyshire “or elsewhere”, according to the indictment.
At the May hearing, the charges were requested to be joined up with earlier ones - 14 counts of indecent assault, five counts of buggery and one count of attempted buggery, all to be jointly heard at a further hearing later this year when all 41 charges, involving eight boys in all, will be dealt with.
Chair of the bench Margaret Smith remanded Bennell into custody for a further hearing at Liverpool Crown Court on July 3.
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