Kit Carson, a football star-maker with a dark history of alleged abuse
Kit Carson reveled in his image as a star-maker with the power to help promising junior footballers realize their dreams of making it in the professional game. He relished the glowing testimonials that his former players – among them, household names – provided for his website and writings and he was never short of invitations to matches and glitzy football dinners. But there was a darkness to Carson that only fully emerged after the Guardian broke the football abuse scandal in 2016. Dozens of former players, among them ex-internationals, contacted the police and the children’s charity the NSPCC to say they had been sexually abused by Carson. Carson’s death in a road crash just before the prosecution case against him was due to start at Peterborough crown court in January deprived survivors of the chance to give evidence against him. His inquest gives a few answers but questions remain, not least how a man like Carson was able to work in the professional game for more than 20 years and why even after complaints were made about him he continued to be involved in the sport right up until his arrest. Michael Sean Carson, to…