The Town academy has been accused of not adequately supporting the mental health of a former scholar having allegedly mishandled an injury by an independent medical review commissioned by the PFA and conducted by a leading sports physician. However, Town have resolutely defended the claims.
According to a lengthy report in The Independent, the unnamed youngster, then 16, was diagnosed with lower-back complications in August 2015.
Following a programme of rehabilitation, the player attempted to return to training seven weeks later but the pain persisted with the club unable to ascertain the true nature of the problem.
By Christmas 2015 the injury had worsened to the extent where walking was at times difficult.
Town had not provided an MRI scan by this point but in January 2016, six months after the injury was first reported, on the advice of a private chiropractor, the club was asked to provide one by the player's parents, which revealed two prolapsed discs.
The PFA’s independent medical review found that Town had "fallen below the standards expected of a Championship club academy”.
However, it added that the club was not legally liable for his injury as the player had a pre-existing back condition not compatible with training full-time. The expert felt the player would struggle to play professional football but ought to make a full recovery.
There is further criticism of the way the youngster was left unattended while undergoing epidurals at the Lister Hospital in London and the subsequent failure to provide a programme of exercises after the pain returned in the 2016 close season.
The young player ultimately stopped playing in 2018 having spent the rest of his scholarship sidelined with injury or on loan in non-league locally.
The review "identified a number of apparent failings” regarding the injury, among them "poor communication … [the] delay in obtaining an MRI … [a] lack of written plan for pre-season 2016 and inappropriate loaded squat exercises for his medical condition.”
The club was urged to "lead a critical incident review into these matters and ensure appropriate systems are in place. Investigations into the safeguarding issues would possibly need to be undertaken with the agreement of the local social services department.”
The youngster, according to his parents, became "withdrawn” and "morose” during his time suffering with the injury, and the review felt his "psychological health” should also have been addressed.
The player admitted he struggled mentally in his time at the club and while there were "weekly informal approaches were made by Ipswich’s welfare officers and coaches to inquire about his well-being”, he says he never had a one-to-one with the academy’s psychologist.
The player is quoted as saying of Town’s physios: "As it was going on over the two or three years, I don’t think they really 100 per cent knew what they were doing. They were trying different stuff, and it wasn’t helping at all…They kind of ran out of ideas. They were just doing the same thing.”
Additionally, he said that no plan regarding his rehabilitation was ever given to him and that he’d be left alone for long spells with the physios busy in the mornings.
The players’ parents took the dispute to the FA - who have said it falls outside their jurisdiction - the PFA and the EFL in 2016.
Town say the three bodies have "found no substantiation to such allegations to warrant any action,” although The Independent says it understands an EFL investigation is still ongoing.
The PFA told The Independent: "The PFA treats its members’ welfare as paramount and we have supported the player throughout this situation, both in terms of pursuing his complaints and also to assist him with medical and rehabilitation assistance.
"This case has highlighted the urgent need for greater clarity as to the process players should follow in regard to safeguarding issues.”
The Independent adds that "the chief executive [sic] has not responded to the parents’ formal complaint nor offered an apology for the club’s treatment of their son.”
A spokesperson for Town said: "The academy staff, including the director of football operations [Lee O’Neill, also academy director], have done everything possible to assist the player and his family over a prolonged period and have given full co-operation to the football authorities.
"Our academy has an outstanding reputation in the game for not only developing young talent and providing a pathway into the first team but even more importantly, for ensuring the welfare and general well-being of all the scholars.
"The player concerned was provided with that same expert support from the academy both in terms of the physical treatment of the injury — including guidance from one of Europe’s leading consultants in spinal surgery — and the mental challenges surrounding dealing with a long-term injury.
"The club has acted to the highest standards in the player’s medical treatment in line with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines and in his general well-being.”
The Independent reports that the player currently coaches at the academy for two hours a week at a site away from Playford Road.