Chedwyn Michael Evans (born 28 December 1988) is a Welsh
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby ...
who plays as a
striker for
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
club
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syst ...
.
Born in
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'').
To the west ...
, Evans was signed by
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
from
Chester City's youth set up in 2002 and he subsequently progressed through the ranks. Evans was loaned to
Norwich City in 2007, where he scored 10 goals in 28 league appearances, before returning to his parent club. With first team opportunities at City limited he was subsequently sold to
Sheffield United for £3 million in 2009. After an unspectacular first two seasons at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall family of file and graver manufacturers. ...
he scored 35 goals during the
2011–12 season. He also represented Wales at
Wales under-21 and
senior
Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to:
* Senior (name), a surname ...
level, scoring on his debut for the national side in 2008, and making a total of 13 appearances.
Club career
Manchester City
Evans began his playing career in
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'').
To the west ...
,
before spending two seasons in
Chester City's youth set-up from where he moved to
Manchester City
Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The two ...
in 2002 following the closure of Chester's youth team.
During the 2006–07 season, Evans was a regular in the academy and reserve teams and was also in the side that reached the final of the 2006
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under-18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part. I ...
, where
City
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
lost to Liverpool.
In May 2007, Evans signed his first professional contract with Manchester City.

In September 2007 Evans came off the bench to make his senior debut in City's 1–0
League Cup
In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...
victory against
Norwich City. With first choice opportunities at City limited, Evans moved on loan to Norwich City in November of that year, agreeing a deal until 1 January 2008. He made his debut for Norwich the following week when he came on as a substitute in the 3–1 victory over
Blackpool
Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and ...
.
His first goal for the club came two games later, and just two minutes into his first start in a 2–1 victory over
Plymouth Argyle
Plymouth Argyle Football Club is a professional football club based in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. As of the 2021–22 season, the team are competing in League One, the third tier of English football. They have played at Home Park ...
at the start of December.
Evans returned to Manchester City after his initial loan deal expired in January 2008, having made eight appearances and scored two goals.
Initially, Norwich manager
Glenn Roeder
Glenn Victor Roeder (13 December 1955 – 28 February 2021) was an English professional football player and manager.
As a player, Roeder played as a defender for Arsenal, Leyton Orient, Queens Park Rangers, Notts County, Newcastle United, Wat ...
's attempts to extend the loan were refused, however, on 10 January, the two clubs agreed a deal to allow Evans to return to Norwich on loan until 26 February, with Manchester City able to recall him after an initial period. However, after talks between the two clubs at the end of January 2008, the deal was extended to allow Evans to stay with the
Carrow Road
Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum.
...
club until the end of the
season
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
. Then Manchester City manager
Sven-Göran Eriksson
Sven-Göran Eriksson (; born 5 February 1948) is a Swedish football manager and former player.
After an unassuming playing career as a right-back, Eriksson went on to experience major success in club management between 1977 and 2001, winning ...
stated he had no plans to sell Evans and that he would not be leaving the summer transfer window.
Evans played regularly for Norwich for the remainder of his loan spell and by the end of the season he had notched up 10 goals from 20 starts and eight substitute appearances.
Evans made his Premier League debut for Manchester City in the opening game of the following season on 18 August, against
Aston Villa
Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa P ...
. He was not chosen for the starting eleven but replaced
Valeri Bojinov, who suffered an injury during the pre-game warm-up.
Evans scored his first
Premier League
The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...
goal for Manchester City against
Portsmouth
Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...
on 21 September, scoring the fifth goal as City went on to win 6–0. With City's acquisition of
Craig Bellamy
Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward and is current assistant manager at EFL Championship side Burnley. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy began his senior playing career with N ...
and later
Emmanuel Adebayor,
Roque Santa Cruz
Roque Luis Santa Cruz Cantero (; born 16 August 1981) is a Paraguayan professional footballer who plays as a striker for Paraguayan club Club Libertad. He is the record goal scorer and has earned over 100 caps for the Paraguay national team ...
and
Carlos Tevez
Carlos Alberto Tevez (; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. A quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, as a wing ...
, Evans opted to leave in 2009 in order to get more first team football.
Sheffield United
Evans joined
Sheffield United for a fee of £3 million on a three-year deal in July 2009, making his debut for United in the first game of the new season; a 0–0 draw with
Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area.
Until the early 1800s, the a ...
.
Having bagged a brace for the
Wales U21s during the midweek fixtures he then scored his first goal in Blades colours on his home debut, a 2–0 win over
Watford
Watford () is a town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne, Hertfordshire, River Colne.
Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal en ...
.
Despite a promising start Evans struggled to maintain any real form and was often relegated to the role of substitute during his first season with the Blades, making 36 appearances but scoring only four goals.
The following season Evans was a regular first team choice and his form and scoring rate began to improve, despite the club going through a season of turmoil and battling against relegation. He finished the campaign as
top scorer with nine goals in all competitions,
but was unable to prevent the team dropping out of the division.
With the Blades now in
League One there was speculation that Evans would be sold to ease the club's wage bill but an injury picked up in the last days of the previous campaign meant he was unavailable until early September,
preventing him from moving on to another club. Having returned from injury Evans hit a rich vein of form scoring regularly in both league and cup competitions as the Blades contested for promotion.
On 28 March 2012 he scored a second-half hat trick within 15 minutes against
Chesterfield giving him his thirtieth goal of the season in a 4–1 win for Sheffield United at
Bramall Lane
Bramall Lane is a football stadium in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which is the home of Sheffield United.
The stadium was originally a cricket ground, built on a road named after the Bramall family of file and graver manufacturers. ...
.
During this impressive third season, Evans drew attention from
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
and Premier League clubs with his contract scheduled to expire in the summer. However, Blades manager
Danny Wilson stated that Evans "
asn'teven thinking about leaving Bramall Lane", adding "Of course we don't want to lose Ched."
Evans was named League One Player of the Month for March 2012, having scored 10 goals in 8 games.
He was nominated for 'League One Player of the Season',
and in April 2012 Evans was named in the League One
PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premi ...
.
He ended the season with 35 goals in all competitions,
but following his rape conviction Evans was released by United at the end of the season.
Chesterfield
On 20 June 2016, Evans signed his first contract since his release from prison and the quashing of his conviction, signing for one year at Chesterfield in League One. He was signed by his former Sheffield United manager Wilson, and their first-team coach was his former Blades teammate
Chris Morgan.
He scored on his debut for Chesterfield on 23 July, his first game in nearly four years, in a 3–0 pre-season friendly win over
Ilkeston
Ilkeston is a town in the Borough of Erewash, Derbyshire, England, on the River Erewash, from which the borough takes its name, with a population at the 2011 census of 38,640. Its major industries, coal mining, iron working and lace making/texti ...
. He also scored, with a free-kick from , on his return to professional football, in a 1–1 away draw with
Oxford United, on 6 August 2016.
In his home debut for Chesterfield, on 13 August 2016 against
Swindon Town
Swindon Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Swindon, Wiltshire, England. The team currently competes in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. The club has played home matches at the County Ground sin ...
, Evans produced a match-winning performance, scoring Chesterfield's third goal and having a hand in the other two from
Gary Liddle
Gary Daniel Liddle (born 15 June 1986) is an English professional footballer who plays as a centre-back or midfielder for Northern Premier League side South Shields. He has played in the English Football League for Hartlepool United, Notts ...
and
Jay O'Shea as they won 3–1.
Return to Sheffield United
On 8 May 2017, Evans was signed by former club Sheffield United, having had several talks with
Chris Wilder.
On his first match back at the club, he turned in a man-of-the-match performance as the Blades beat
Walsall
Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield.
Walsall is t ...
in the
EFL Cup
The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by th ...
.
Fleetwood Town
In July 2018, having failed to score a single goal for the Blades since his return to Bramall Lane, Evans signed a season-long loan deal with
Fleetwood Town
Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed ...
. He scored his first goal for Fleetwood on 11 August in a 2–0 away win against Oxford United. It was his first goal since 2016 when he was playing for Chesterfield. Following his debut goal, Evans left the pitch to a standing ovation from Fleetwood fans.
He was transfer-listed by Sheffield United at the end of the 2018–19 season, with Fleetwood signing him permanently on 6 August 2019 for an undisclosed fee. In December 2020, Fleetwood manager
Joey Barton
Joseph Anthony Barton (born 2 September 1982) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He made 269 appearances in the Premier League, including 130 for Manchester City. He is currently the man ...
announced that Evans had left the club due to "disciplinary reasons".
Preston North End
On 6 January 2021, Evans joined
Championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
side
Preston North End
Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syst ...
on a short-term loan. He scored his first goal for Preston in a 2–1 loss to
Rotherham United
Rotherham United Football Club, nicknamed The Millers, is a professional football club based in Rotherham, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . The club's colours were initially yellow and black, but changed to red and white around ...
on 6 February 2021. On 6 February, he signed a permanent contract with the club. On 12 April 2021, Evans extended his contract with the club until the summer of 2023, another two years on top of the original deal signed in February.
International career
Wales U21s
Evans gained his first
Wales U21 cap in 2007. He became a regular member of the squad and in November 2007 he scored a hat-trick against
France U21s.
In doing so he became only the fourth player to have scored a hat-trick for the under-21 side, along with
John Hartson
John Hartson (born 5 April 1975) is a Welsh former professional footballer, coach and sports television pundit for S4C, Sky Sports, Premier Sports TV and BT Sport.
As a player he was a striker, notably for Scottish club Celtic where his time ...
,
Craig Davies and
Lee Jones. Evans scored a brace against
Bosnia and Herzegovina U21s in October 2009,
taking his tally for the Welsh U21s to 13 goals in 12 games.
Wales
Evans made his senior debut for
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
on 28 May 2008, scoring the winning goal (with a back heel) in a 1–0 away friendly victory against
Iceland
Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its ...
. He made 13 appearances for Wales in total, scoring once.
Personal life
Evans was born in
Rhyl
Rhyl (; cy, Y Rhyl, ) is a seaside town and community in Denbighshire, Wales. The town lies within the historic boundaries of Flintshire, on the north-east coast of Wales at the mouth of the River Clwyd ( Welsh: ''Afon Clwyd'').
To the west ...
,
Clwyd
Clwyd () is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to ...
.
After signing for Sheffield United, Evans moved to
Millhouse Green,
Penistone
Penistone ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, England, which had a population of 22,909 at the 2011 census. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is west of Barnsley, ...
, in the nearby
Barnsley area.
After the death of former Wales boss and Sheffield United player, coach and manager
Gary Speed
Gary Andrew Speed (8 September 1969 – 27 November 2011) was a Welsh professional footballer and manager. As manager of Wales, Speed is often credited as being the catalyst for the change in fortunes of the national team and as setting t ...
, Evans revealed a message under his shirt after scoring his first goal in the
FA Cup
The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competit ...
win over
Torquay United
Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nicknamed ...
, which read "Rest in peace Speedo".
Evans was engaged for several years to Natasha Massey. It was reported that Evans married Massey in 2022.
Massey's father, Karl, a businessman, funded a website, "Chedevans.com", which proclaimed Evans to be "wrongly convicted of rape on 20th April 2012". He also hired lawyers for an
appeal. Speaking to
ITV1
ITV1 (formerly known as ITV) is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the British media company ITV plc. It provides the ITV (TV network), Channel 3 pu ...
's ''
This Morning This Morning may refer to:
* ''This Morning'' (TV programme), a British daytime television programme
* ''This Morning'' (radio program), a Canadian radio show which aired from 1997 to 2002
* '' CBS This Morning'', an American morning show, succe ...
'' in 2014, Natasha Massey said that when she found out Evans had been questioned over rape, her first instinct was to be "protective" and to stand by him. She said: "My thoughts and feelings over the cheating were put to one side and I stepped in to help him through this terrible time."
Rape trial
Evans and another footballer,
Clayton McDonald, were tried at the
Crown Court
The Crown Court is the court of first instance of England and Wales responsible for hearing all indictable offences, some either way offences and appeals lied to it by the magistrates' courts. It is one of three Senior Courts of England and Wale ...
at
Caernarfon
Caernarfon (; ) is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,852 (with Caeathro). It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor i ...
after being indicted of the rape of a 19-year-old woman, who was alleged to be too drunk to consent,
at a hotel near Rhyl in May 2011. Evans was convicted on 20 April 2012 and was sentenced to five years' imprisonment. He was eligible for release on licence after serving half of that sentence.
During his imprisonment, Evans worked as a painter and decorator in prison.
[ In August 2012, he was refused leave to appeal against the conviction by a ]Court of Appeal of England and Wales
The Court of Appeal (formally "His Majesty's Court of Appeal in England", commonly cited as "CA", "EWCA" or "CoA") is the highest court within the Senior Courts of England and Wales, and second in the legal system of England and Wales only to ...
judge and the full court upheld the decision in November. Evans continued to maintain his innocence and in November 2013 recruited a new legal team to attempt to clear his name.
After serving half of his prison sentence, Evans was eligible for release, and was released on licence on 17 October 2014. Following his release, the Criminal Cases Review Commission
The Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) is the statutory body responsible for investigating alleged miscarriages of justice in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland. It was established by Section 8 of the Criminal Appeal Act 1995 and bega ...
announced that they were reviewing his conviction. In January 2015, it was reported that Evans had submitted fresh evidence to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, to attempt to strengthen his case. In October 2015, the Criminal Cases Review Commission, following a 10-month investigation and relying on "new material which was not considered by the jury at trial", referred the case to the Court of Appeal.
On 22 March 2016, the case was heard by the Court of Appeal. On 21 April 2016, the appeal was allowed, the conviction quashed and a retrial ordered. The Court of Appeal imposed a ban on reporting details of the legal argument. The retrial began on 4 October 2016 and on 14 October Evans was found not guilty. After the retrial, it could then be reported that the legal argument used in the appeal had related to the complainant's sexual history. On 11 April 2019, Evans accepted an £800,000 settlement from the legal firm which represented him in his first trial.
Attempts to find a new club prior to his acquittal
Sheffield United
In April 2014, Sheffield United co-chairman Kevin McCabe and new manager Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough (born 19 March 1966) is an English professional football manager and former player who is currently the manager of Mansfield Town. Playing predominantly as a forward, but later in his career used as a midfielder, Clough wa ...
met with Evans in HM Prison Wymott to discuss the possibility of Sheffield United re-signing Evans after his release from prison. Following speculation that Evans could rejoin his former club, a petition was signed by 150,000 people urging the club not to do so, which stated that it would be a "deep insult to the woman who was raped and to all women like her who have suffered at the hands of a rapist".[
In November 2014, following his release from prison, it was announced that Evans would resume training with Sheffield United after the ]Professional Footballers' Association
The Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) is the trade union for professional association footballers in England and Wales. Founded in 1907, it is the world's oldest professional sport trade union, and has over 5,000 members.
The aims of ...
had requested that Sheffield United let Evans train at the club as they were his last club before his conviction. The decision was controversial, and caused television presenter Charlie Webster, businesswoman Lindsay Graham and musicians Dave Berry and Paul Heaton
Paul David Heaton (born 9 May 1962) is an English singer-songwriter. He was the frontman of the Housemartins, who had success with the singles " Happy Hour" and the UK number one "Caravan of Love" in 1986 before disbanding in 1988. He then forme ...
to resign as patrons of the club. Athlete Jessica Ennis-Hill
Dame Jessica Ennis-Hill (born 28 January 1986) is a British retired track and field athlete from England, specialising in multi-eventing disciplines and 100 metres hurdles. As a competitor in heptathlon, she is the 2012 Olympic champion ...
stated that she would want her name removed from a stand at Bramall Lane if Evans was signed by the club.
The Football League
The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in the world. It was the top-level football league in Engla ...
stated that although they recognised the gravity of Evans' crime, they valued the reintegration of reformed criminals and could not take any action against any club which would hire Evans. Sheffield United manager Nigel Clough said on 12 November that the club were "nowhere near" signing Evans, citing his 30 months out of the professional game and an important run of fixtures as reasons why a decision would not be taken immediately. DBL Logistics, Sheffield United's sponsor on the back of their shirts, stated that they would end their sponsorship if Evans was signed by the club. John Holland Sales, who sponsor on the front of the shirts, declared that they would "re-evaluate" their relation to the club if he were signed. On 20 November, Sheffield United withdrew their offer to allow Evans to use their training facilities. Co-chairman Jim Phipps, however, attributed the decision to "mob-like behaviour", stating his belief that Evans had a right to return to his career having served his sentence.
Hartlepool United
In December 2014, Hartlepool United manager Ronnie Moore said that he would like Evans to join the club. The comment brought criticism from Hartlepool
Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County ...
's MP, Iain Wright, who described Evans as a " pariah". The club later followed up this headline with a statement saying that Hartlepool does not wish to sign Evans.
Hibernians
On 2 January 2015, Hibernians of the Maltese Premier League
The Maltese Premier League, known as BOV Premier League for sponsorship reasons with Bank of Valletta ( colloquially known as ''Il-Kampjonat Premjer''), is the highest level of professional football in Malta. Managed by the Malta Football Associ ...
, through their English vice-president Stephen Vaughan, announced that they had offered Evans a contract up to the end of the season. The British Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry.
Lists of current ministries of justice
Named "Ministry"
* Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia)
* Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan)
* Ministry of Just ...
said that such a move would not be possible as Evans was a convicted sex offender on licence and, as such, barred from working abroad. Malta's Prime Minister, Joseph Muscat
Joseph Muscat (born 22 January 1974) is a Maltese politician who served as the prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020, and as the leader of the Labour Party from June 2008 to January 2020.
Muscat was re-elected as prime minister in the ...
, warned Hibernians that hiring Evans could affect the whole country's reputation, while Justice Minister Owen Bonnici stated that Evans had a right to return to his profession after being released from prison.[
]
Oldham Athletic
On 4 January 2015, it was reported that Evans had been in discussion with League One club Oldham Athletic
Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system.
The history of Oldham Athletic be ...
and was expected to sign for them in a deal which may be worth as little as £400 per week. The club's manager Lee Johnson was reported to have expressed "grave reservations" about the signing, but was overruled by the club's owner Simon Corney. A petition against the signing gathered 19,000 signatures within a few hours and over 30,000 by the next day, while politicians such as Labour Party leader Ed Miliband
Edward Samuel "Ed" Miliband (born 24 December 1969) is a British politician serving as Shadow Secretary of State for Climate Change and Net Zero since 2021. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Doncaster North since 2005. Miliban ...
voiced their opposition to the move.
On 8 January, Oldham Athletic ended their interest in signing Evans, citing that proceeding could have resulted in "significant financial pressure" and would have "continued to be a divisive influence", while condemning the "vile and abusive threats, some including death threats, which have been made to our fans, sponsors and staff". BBC Sport
BBC Sport is the sports division of the BBC, providing national sports coverage for BBC television, radio and online. The BBC holds the television and radio UK broadcasting rights to several sports, broadcasting the sport live or alongside ...
reported that a named relative of a staff member was threatened with rape, and that one sponsor already having ended their association with Oldham in protest and another saying that it would follow suit if Evans signed. The petition against Evans signing had reached over 60,000 signatures. Meanwhile, a total of ten other clubs (other than Oldham and Sheffield United) from League One and League Two told BBC Sport that they would not sign Evans.
Evans stated that he withdrew from the deal due to "mob rule", and that he was concerned the building of Oldham's new stand would be adversely affected by his signing. He also apologised for any grievances he had caused due to his rape case, but maintained his innocence. Journalist Henry Winter, writing for ''The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was f ...
'', rebutted Evans' claims, instead saying that "it was people's disgust that a convicted rapist felt he could swan back into a high-profile job after revealing no remorse for a crime that would preclude re-employment for many", while criticising Evans for making "his statement of contrition ... on the offensive, legally questionable website that continues to make life miserable for his victim".
Grimsby Town
On 8 January 2015, it was announced by Grimsby Town
Grimsby Town Football Club is a professional football club based in Cleethorpes, North East Lincolnshire, England, that in the 2022–23 season will compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system, following the victory in t ...
director John Fenty
John Shelton Fenty (born 10 December 1961) is an English politician, businessman and former football chairman. He was the Conservative councillor for the Humberston and New Waltham ward of North East Lincolnshire Council until 2021. He is the ...
that a financial backer had offered the club to pay Evans' full wages in order to bring him to the Conference Premier
The National League, known as the Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest level of the National League System and fifth-highest of the overall English football league system. It is the highest league that is semi-profess ...
club. Having held a board meeting along with team manager Paul Hurst it was decided that the move would be of too high risk for the club. Grimsby had previously employed Clayton McDonald, the fellow footballer and friend of Evans who was acquitted in the same case, during the 2013–14 season.
Career statistics
Club
International
Honours
Individual
*PFA Team of the Year
The Professional Footballers' Association Team of the Year (often called the PFA Team of the Year, or simply the Team of the Year) is an annual award given to a set of 55 footballers across the top four tiers of men's English football; the Premi ...
: 2011–12 League One
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Evans, Ched
1988 births
Living people
Sportspeople from Rhyl
People wrongfully convicted of rape
Welsh footballers
Wales under-21 international footballers
Wales international footballers
Association football forwards
Chester City F.C. players
Manchester City F.C. players
Norwich City F.C. players
Sheffield United F.C. players
Chesterfield F.C. players
Premier League players
English Football League players
Sports scandals in England
Association football controversies
Overturned convictions in the United Kingdom
People acquitted of rape
Prisoners and detainees of England and Wales
Welsh prisoners and detainees
Fleetwood Town F.C. players
Preston North End F.C. players