As further abuse allegations against Michael Jackson surfaced in a new Channel 4 documentary, the National Football Museum has removed a statue of the singer.
A spokesperson for the museum told Prolific North that plans had been underway for a “number of months” to remove the statue, but it was taken off public view earlier this week.
Leaving Neverland: Michael Jackson and Me was broadcast on Channel 4 earlier this week, with claims that the singer had abused two men “hundreds of times” between the ages of 7 and 10. Claims they repeated on BBC’s Victoria Derbyshire programme.
“If there’s anything we’ve learned during this time in our history, it’s that sexual abuse is complicated, and survivors’ voices need to be listened to. It took great courage for these two men to tell their stories and I have no question about their validity,” said documentary director, Dan Reed.
“I believe anyone who watches this film will see and feel the emotional toll on the men and their families and will appreciate the strength it takes to confront long-held secrets.”
The claims in the documentary have been rejected by the Jackson family. His nephew, Taj Jackson stated that he was “very innocent” and that “naivety was his downfall.”
The Jackson estate has also said that his accusers had “no independent evidence” or support and that they had testified under oath that the events had never occurred. In a statement, it added: “which means the entire film hinges solely on the word of two perjurers.”
The National Football Museum has had the statue of Michael Jackson since 2014, when it was donated by former Fulham chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed.
It was originally displayed inside the club’s Craven Cottage stadium.
“Plans have been underway for a number of months to remove the Michael Jackson statue from display as part of our ongoing plans to better represent the stories we want to tell about football. As a result of this, the statue has now been removed,” said a spokesperson for the museum.
The statue was removed from public view earlier this week.
