Manchester United Faces Legal Action Over Alleged Failure To Protect Victim From Former Employee’s Abuse

Manchester United is facing a High Court lawsuit accusing the club of failing to safeguard an individual from sexual abuse allegedly committed by a former staff member, Billy Watts, during the 1980s.

Watts, who passed away in 2009, held several roles at the club’s training ground, including caretaker, groundsman, and kit man. Reports show that internal disciplinary measures were taken against him in 2009 before he was reassigned away from The Cliff, United’s then-training facility in Salford.

The claimant, whose identity remains confidential for legal reasons, claims he suffered sexual and physical abuse as a child under the club’s supervision. The case was filed by law firm Simpson Millar, which alleges that United failed in its duty of care.

Kate Hall, an Abuse Law Expert at Simpson Millar, praised the claimant’s courage, saying: “Our client has shown enormous strength in revisiting deeply traumatic memories to seek justice. Survivors deserve more than sympathy—they deserve accountability.”

Simpson Millar’s statement detailed that the abuse occurred in the 1980s, with Watts accused of making inappropriate sexual comments and physical advances towards minors.

The case draws on findings from the Sheldon Review, a 2021 report commissioned by the Football Association to investigate historical child sexual abuse in English football from 1970 to 2025. The review included references to a “caretaker at Manchester United” accused of similar misconduct, though it did not name Watts directly.

United confirmed in 2019 that it had fully cooperated with the Sheldon Review, conducting internal investigations and interviews with past and present employees. The club maintained that all information related to Watts was submitted to the FA as part of its compliance with the review.

The High Court case now seeks to determine whether Manchester United failed in its duty to protect the claimant while he was under the club’s care and supervision.