Ex-Fulham captain Ronnie Gibbons has openly accused the former Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed of rape.
Ronnie Gibbons who captained Fulham in the 2001 season disclosed that the former Fulham owner tried to kiss her twice in his luxurious office at Harrods department store, located in Knightsbridge, giving the excuse that he wants her to come and teach his children about football, however, the children were not there when she showed up, leaving her alone with Al Fayed.
Gibson revealed that the first time he allegedly assaulted her, he tried pulling her close and kissing her forcefully: “He pulled me in close and tried to kiss me on the mouth, he had his arms holding my arms, like at my side, so I couldn’t push him away or anything like that. It was a real kind of control stance, like ‘I’m dominating you’.”
In her report to The Athletic she stated the second time he tried kissing her again, this time she felt physically sick. In her words, she said, “He even may have stuck his tongue on me or something. I just remember feeling sick, just really physically feeling sick, when I left there.”
The former captain went further to claim that a member of staff would force her out of the training ground each time to see Al Fayed. She said she wanted to leave Fulham but couldn’t, as she felt a big responsibility around her, as the female team had just turned professional (Fulham was the first female team to turn professional in England.)
While talking to The Athletic, she disclosed: “I was used. I just felt a huge responsibility on my shoulders because we’d just turned professional. Everything internally was screaming at me, ‘Ronnie, you need to leave’, but I couldn’t because I would be to blame for all these women losing their jobs and Fulham Ladies going down the pan.”
She said she carried shame, pain, and embarrassment for years and believes telling her story will help heal her. “Speaking my truth and finally telling my story will hopefully help me heal and be rid of the shame, embarrassment, and pain I have carried for years.”
Gibbons’ lawyers say she’s chosen to reveal her identity. She explains that she stayed silent about the abuse because she feared harming the women’s team’s future.

Fulham put out a statement condemning all forms of abuse and said the club is focused on fighting for victims of Al Fayed’s sexual assault.
“We unequivocally condemn all forms of abuse. We remain in the process of establishing whether anyone at the club is or would have been impacted by Mohamed Al Fayed in any manner as described in recent reports. The club has opened its arms by telling anyone who has reports on Al Fayed’s sexual misconduct to report to the police or club’s email: safeguarding@fulhamfc.com.”
Fulham’s head coach told the press at his press conference on Friday, “Fifteen days ago, your colleague told me about the former Fulham owner, and it was about something else, not in the club, but now you’re talking about the human captain of the club, and it’s now about ourselves. All of us can feel it; we’re not here to hide. It’s sad to listen, and we have to be completely against this. We’re talking about something from 25 years ago, not last year, two years, or three years, but it’s sad anyway. We show empathy, and if we can do anything to help as a football club to support those involved, we have to do as a club.”
A lot of allegations have been pointed at Al Fayed since the BBC documentary “Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods”.
The Metropolitan Police said last week that Al Fayed faces 61 allegations of sex crimes, including rape and assault, after 40 new claims emerged, adding to 21 previous allegations from 2005-2023.
In 1997, Mohamed Al Faye bought Fulham for €30m and sold the club in 2013 for €150m-€200m.The Egyptian billionaire died at the age of 94 on August 30, 2023.