Within the first six months of my tenure at Chelsea I sacked Eddie Heath from his position at the club. It was purely a footballing decision as, in my opinion, he wasn't fulfilling his role correctly.
Whilst I have incredible sympathy for his victims, neither at that time, or at any subsequently, did I ever have any knowledge regarding his abuse of the young players at the club. It came as a complete shock to me at the time of the inquest.
When it emerged into the public arena, I was in Phoenix Arizona and I was interviewed three times, each time explaining that I had no knowledge whatsoever of the situation. In actual fact, right up until the inquest of a few years ago, I knew nothing untoward had ever occurred. To say that I was not interviewed at the time the allegations arose is incorrect.
I explained the situation which remains the same today as it was then. At no time were there rumours from the club, any of the players or the coaching staff regarding Eddie Heath. the revelations came as a complete shock to me when they emerged decades later.
To reiterate my position, I at no time had any knowledge of the situation and therefore have not had anything more substantive to say but I must emphasise that I feel incredible sorrow for the victims of Eddie Heath and the other protagonists in this sad affair.
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Tweets by @TheGeoffHurstSir Geoff Hurst MBE secured a unique place in the history of football in 1966 when he became the first and, for more than 56 years, the only player to score a hat-trick in a World Cup Final.
Sir Geoff says that he 'had a great run', nevertheless he remains the only player to score a 'perfect' hat-trick and the only to be on the World Cup winning team.
Knighted in 1998 and inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004, Sir Geoff holds a special place in the hearts of football fans across the world and, perhaps surprisingly, this includes Germany!