Source: REUTERS/Lee Smith
[Saba Sports News] According to British media reports, 75-year-old renowned agent Jonathan Barnett has been accused of raping a woman at least 39 times and forcing her to be a slave. Barnett was once ranked as one of the most influential agents in football. In 2013, he facilitated Gareth Bale’s record-breaking £85 million move from Tottenham Hotspur to Real Madrid, and represented English players such as Ashley Cole and Jack Grealish. Court documents reveal that a woman named Jane Doe is suing Barnett and his former employer CAA, claiming she was “trafficked” to the UK from Australia in 2017, tortured, and treated as a “slave” until 2023. In February 2021, Barnett referred to Doe as a “slave” via his work email at Stellar (his former company). According to court documents, Barnett first met Jane Doe in the 1990s through a professional athlete, and reconnected with her online in 2017. The lawsuit states that within weeks, she was relocated to the UK along with a teenager, with the cost covered by Stellar. She claims she was “possessed” by him and raped in hotel rooms. She said he insisted she call him “my master” and ordered her not to “ever say it hurts”.