Parents have accused the owner of the girls’ football club Red Star Lionesses of taking more than £28,000 in payments for tournaments that did not happen, kits that did not arrive and sessions with Women’s Super League players that did not take place.
James (also known as Jamie or Jay) Austin, who has two fraud convictions, one of which resulted in a two-year jail term, faces allegations made by more than 70 parents involved with the grassroots club. The claims are being reviewed by Greater Manchester police and are part of an investigation by the Football Association, which has issued Austin with an interim suspension while that investigation continues.
