Getty Image
Pressure is mounting on the Premier League and one of its clubs as a player that has been accused of sexual assault by multiple women continues to play and remains anonymous due to U.K. laws.
Following an expose by The Athletic, questions are being asked of the Premier League of how a player accused of such heinous crimes can not only maintain anonymity but continue to play for his club and earn the paychecks that come with it.
Due to the laws in the United Kingdom, however, the player — whom The Athletic notes has continued to “play well” for his team in the wake of the accusations against him — nor the club he plays for can be named by journalists due to legal reasons. If and when a player is officially charged, then they can be named.
“We cannot name the player or his club for legal reasons. We also cannot identify the women who have complained as, in the UK, alleged victims of sexual abuse are entitled to anonymity for life. The UK takes a strict line on the right to privacy,” the report explains.
“As an example, when we asked the Metropolitan Police, the force that polices Greater London, for an update on this case, it asked us to remove the individual’s occupation from the subject line of our email. The force politely explained that they never reveal the occupations of people they question under caution.”
As a United States-based outlet, whether or not these rules apply to us exist in a bit of a gray area and therefore not worth the headache. Thus, instead of speculating on who the player is ourselves, we’ll direct you to “football Twitter” on social media — if you read the comments and quote tweets of the viral article from The Athletic [below], you’ll figure out which player is widely assumed to be the alleged offender.
A player at a Premier League club has been accused of sexual assault by four different women & has carried on playing. Many of you will know who he is but we can’t name him for legal reasons. “It’s a systemic failure,” says ex-chief prosecutor Nazir Afzal. https://t.co/Z8ce0BzY26
— Matt Slater (@mjshrimper) June 1, 2025
In recent years, players such as Mason Greenwood, Yves Bissouma and Benjamin Mendy have been accused of various degrees of sexual assault, with only Bissouma continuing to play in the Premier League after police decided no further action should be taken against him after he was arrested of suspicion of sexual assault in October 2021.
Greenwood is now playing in France with Marsielle while Mendy is in Switzerland with Zurich. Bissouma was sold from Brighton to Tottenham Hotspur in the wake of the allegations and has played in 79 matches for the club.
The report from The Athletic speaks with Nazir Afzal, the former Chief Crown Prosecutor for North West England, who says he believes Premier League clubs have been “hiding behind the legal process” when it comes to their players being accused of crimes.
“His advice to clubs is simple: stop hiding, issue simple statements to say you have received an allegation of a serious nature against an employee and you are cooperating fully, provide support to the victim and, in the worst cases, after a risk assessment, suspend the player.”
The Premier League wrapped up its 2024/25 season on Sunday, May 25 and will kick off its 2025/26 season on Saturday, August 16. Liverpool are currently the betting favorites to repeat as champions.