Dario Gradi, the former manager of Crewe Alexandra, has had his MBE revoked in light of allegations that he failed to respond adequately to rumors of sexual abuse.

A review conducted in 2021 concluded that he "should have done more" to address claims regarding coach Barry Bennell, who was later convicted of sexually abusing boys associated with the club.

Published by the Cabinet Office, a list recently revealed the removal of Gradi's honor, citing his professional disbarment by the Football Association (FA) as the reason.

Gradi, who managed Crewe for a remarkable 1,359 matches, expressed his acceptance of the decision.

This development came after the victims of Barry Bennell and the Offside Trust, an organization representing some of these victims, urged for the removal of Gradi's MBE.

Bennell, a youth coach at Crewe Alexandra and Manchester City during the 1980s and 1990s, is serving a lengthy prison sentence for multiple charges of historical child sexual abuse. His crimes involved repeatedly abusing boys with false promises of advancing their sporting careers.

Dario Gradi, now 82, was suspended in 2016 as part of an FA investigation and subsequently retired from his position as director of football at Crewe three years later. He has consistently denied any wrongdoing. The 2021 review found that Gradi was not aware of allegations against Bennell and did not witness any improper conduct. However, it noted that Gradi should have pursued rumors about the coach, closely monitored the situation, and engaged with the boys under Bennell's supervision to ensure their well-being.

The FA imposed a lifetime ban on Gradi's involvement in football, though he specified that the ban pertains to "certain specified activities with players under the age of 18 years." Photo by Jonesy702, Wikimedia commons.