sport news The FA are urged to overhaul safeguarding regulations and provide victims of ... trends now The FA are urged to overhaul their safeguarding regulations and provide victims of abuse with more support after an Aston Villa coach was banned for sending inappropriate messages to players from several teams By Matt Hughes For Mailonline Published: 12:53 GMT, 20 March 2023 | Updated: 12:53 GMT, 20 March 2023 Viewcomments The FA are facing calls from players to overhaul their safeguarding regulations to give victims of abuse more support following Sportsmail’s revelations about an Aston Villa coach accused of asking female youngsters for naked photographs. Villa Academy coach Jack Peel resigned in September 2021 and was subsequently banned by the FA after club and FA investigations concluded he was guilty of sending inappropriate text messages to players at the club. A number of Peel’s alleged victims were never contacted or informed about his suspension however, which has led the PFA to demand changes to the FA’s safeguarding policies. The players’ union have previously expressed unhappiness about not being told about either investigation and the lack of support offered to female players following Sportsmail’s reports last month. Talks over the matter are understood to be on-going. The PFA fear that failing to provide information to complainants could erode faith in the system and prevent other victims of abuse from coming forward. One consequence of the FA’s policy of strict confidentiality is that victims are often not offered support. The FA are facing calls from players to overhaul their safeguarding regulations to give victims of abuse more support following Sportsmail’s revelations about Aston Villa coach Jack Peel being accused of asking female youngsters for naked photographs The 27-year-old resigned the day he was due to attend a disciplinary hearing at Aston Villa before he was subsequently banned by the FA after an investigation Several parents whose daughters had given evidence against Peel told Sportsmail last month that they had not received any information about the case almost 18 months after it was first reported. “Nobody has any answers,” one said. “It makes really angry. Everybody is so frightened to speak out because they’re worried about their football career. Every young girl wants a pro contract and if a coach is messaging you, these young girls are going to think that he’s going to be able to take them somewhere.” The FA’s position is that they are unable to provide information to victims of abuse as a result of their duty to protect the confidentiality of the alleged perpetrator. In the Peel case the FA also claimed that it was not necessary to speak to all of the victims as they obtained sufficient evidence to ban him from elsewhere, much of it understood to have been contained on his mobile phone. Several players told Sportsmail of the distressing impact Peel's alleged behaviour had on their lives, with one saying she was so sickened by the messages that they made her dislike football. Another described how she felt uncomfortable having to train and do squats in front of Peel after he had messaged her. She also said the experience has made her feel uneasy around other male coaches. “The FA has robust safeguarding measures in place, and all referrals into The FA are handled in line with our policies and procedures,” a spokesperson said. “We do not comment on individual cases.” However, a number of Peel’s alleged victims were never contacted or informed about his suspension, which has led the PFA to demand changes to the FA’s safeguarding policies Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility