Respected soccer coach Maurice Chalk today vowed to clear his name after being arrested amid allegations of indecency with a young boy, writes PAUL HARRIS.

The Mid-Oxfordshire Schools FA coach - who is also a Premiership club scout and vice-president of Witney Town FC - was arrested last month but released without charge on police bail.

The 81-year-old retired teacher, of Church Lane, Burford, is one of the county's best-known sports administrators.

He told the Oxford Mail he was devastated by the allegations made by the 11-year-old and his family.

"Life will not be worth living if I cannot go on with football. It is all I live for, looking after kids. I have done it all my life."

Mr Chalk has been a soccer coach for most of his life, teaching boys throughout Oxfordshire and acting as a scout for Premiership club giants including Arsenal and Aston Villa. He is credited with helping the careers of England and Arsenal star Martin Keown, former Liverpool defender Mark Wright and former Oxford United midfielder Kevin Brock.

Bachelor Mr Chalk, a former chairman of Oxfordshire Schools FA and a retired teacher at Burford School, said: "My intentions are honourable. I have not done anything that was wrong. If you are suggesting I was touching him in the wrong place, definitely not. I am sure he has not said anything like that either.

"I am hoping every day to get a letter from the family saying they are not pursuing it, but I have not had one yet. I was going to drop everything and pack it up but everyone said I must go on. All the organisers said I must go on. Nobody has dropped out of any of the teams.

"Everyone is most co-operative and frankly the whole thing is a mystery to me. At the moment I am standing back and leaving it for someone else to run the team on the day, which I decided with the county secretary, until my name is cleared. "I have lost a lot of weight since the interview. It is worrying, especially as you do not know what is happening. I know myself I have got no wrong intentions. I look after them as if they were my own children."

A few days before his arrest last month, Mr Chalk had spoken to the boy's family and seen him play football in Oxfordshire.

A police source confirmed Mr Chalk had been arrested and released without charge. He is due to report to the police on March 19.

Story date: Tuesday 23 February

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