Crystal Palace’s academy director suspended pending under-18s investigation

• Gary Issott being investigated over alleged inappropriate behaviour
• No complaint made by any Palace academy player or their parents

Crystal Palace have suspended their long-serving academy director, Gary Issott, pending the results of an internal investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour after suggestions emerged that he had attempted to shower with members of the club’s under-18s team at an away fixture this season.

Palace suspended Issott and informed the Football Association last month after a member of staff overheard two academy players discussing his alleged conduct and alerted the club’s head of safeguarding, Marcus Puddephatt. The initial concerns, passed on immediately to the board of directors, are understood to have centred more on jokes the academy director is supposed to have made in the presence of under-18 players.

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