Mohamed Al Fayed: Abuse allegations made relating to Fulham tenure, say lawyers

Barristers representing alleged victims of Mohamed Al Fayed said there are now "60 survivors" and that they have "credible evidence of abuse" at Fulham Football Club.

The former Harrods and Fulham FC owner is accused of multiple sexual assaults, after a BBC investigation published last week.

Al Fayed, who died last year aged 94, was chairman of Fulham between 1997 and 2013.

Extra precautions were put in place to protect Fulham's women's team from Mr Al Fayed, former manager Gaute Haugenes told the BBC.

Fulham said in a statement on Friday: "We are aware of recent reports stating that new enquiries have been made concerning the former chairman's tenure at the club. Whilst the details of these enquiries have not been made available to us, we are deeply troubled and intend to investigate all relevant matters appropriately.

"In the meantime, should any person affected wish to share information related to this matter, we encourage them to contact us at safeguarding@fulhamfc.com or the Police."

A Football Association spokesperson said: "We are aware of the reports and we will remain in contact with Fulham FC to monitor the matter."

A spokesman for Justice for Harrods Survivors, a group of barristers representing the alleged victims, said on Friday that there had been an "enormous" response to the BBC investigation.

Their statement said: "We can confirm that we now represent 60 survivors as part of our claim, with more to come. To reiterate, our claim is becoming increasingly global in scope."

The statement added: "We are now in possession of credible evidence of abuse at other Al Fayed properties and businesses, including Fulham Football Club."

On Thursday, the Metropolitan Police confirmed they are investigating a number of new allegations made against Mr Al Fayed, in addition to prior reports.

They said they will carry out "full reviews of all existing allegations" of incidents said to have taken place between 1979 and 2013, to ensure there are "no new lines of inquiry based on new information which has emerged".

The current managing director of Harrods, Michael Ward, has said he was "not aware" of the "criminality and abuse" and described it as a "shameful period in the business's history".

Mr Ward apologised and said the business "failed our colleagues".

He said in a statement that it was clear Mr Al Fayed "presided over a toxic culture of secrecy, intimidation, fear of repercussion and sexual misconduct".

The Met said they were contacting lawyers representing alleged victims to "ensure they have the opportunity to speak with us and report any offences".

The Met said the initial complaints made by 19 women were reported to them between 2005 and 2023, including three allegations of rape, 15 sexual assaults and one related to trafficking.

Police approached the Crown Prosecution Service five times, including two occasions where a file of evidence was passed on in 2009 and 2015.

No further action was taken against Mr Al Fayed in respect of the original complaints.