Friday 21 December 2018 10:32, UK
Kick It Out, the anti-racism charity, is being investigated by the Charity Commission following an allegation of sexual assault, according to Sky sources.
The allegation is one of a number of issues currently being looked into. A group of ex-employees are also understood to have complained about the organisation's working environment.
The alleged sexual assault on a female employee was not committed by anyone working for the charity.
It is believed the woman did not want to report the incident to the police at the time and that Kick It Out offered her support through an outside organisation. That support included time off, counselling and restorative justice.
The Charity Commission confirmed that it has been made aware of concerns about the organisation and it has now opened a regulatory compliance case to assess it.
It added the public rightly expects charities to be safe places, where people are free from harm.
Lord Ouseley, who founded Kick it Out, will be stepping aside after 25 years in charge. He and other trustees are now likely to be questioned by those looking into the complaints.
In a statement, the charity said: "The trustees take their responsibilities very seriously and have begun the process of an independent inquiry into the issues that have been raised.
"The trustees are made up of representatives from the football authorities, who naturally have an interest in how their money is being spent, but the board also has independent trustees, including the chair for the last 25 years, Lord Ouseley."
Kick It Out is funded by the FA, the Premier League, the EFL and the PFA.
