PROFESSIONAL Footballers’ Association leader Gordon Taylor courted controversy yesterday by saying that convicted rapist Ched Evans should be allowed to play football when he is released from prison.

Evans was jailed for five years in 2012 for raping a 19-year-old woman at a hotel in Rhyl in north Wales but is due to be released later this month.

Just under 100,000 people have signed an online petition calling on the striker’s former club Sheffield United to not rehire him but Taylor believes that Evans has done his time and should be allowed to rejoin society and continue his life where he left off.

He said: “I didn’t know there was a law that said once you come out of prison you still can’t do anything.

“As a trade union we believe in the rule of law, besides that, he still wants to contribute to society.

“If he earns money he’ll pay taxes. Those taxes will go to help people who maybe can’t get a job.”

But Kate Russell, director of communications for Rape Crisis England and Wales, believes that football needs to send a message that violence against women will not be tolerated.

“Obviously Rape Crisis completely supports and recognises the right of any convicted criminal to return to work after they’ve completed their sentence, that’s not something we’re disputing,” said Russell.

“But we have to accept that in this case it is an incredibly high-profile figure who will inevitably return, where he will be highly paid, he will get a lot of profile and will be celebrated of course for his sporting prowess.

“We would say that the responsibility is really with the clubs and the football authority more widely to send a very strong message that rape and sexual violence — and violence against women and girls more broadly — will not be tolerated within football.”

Wales manager Chris Coleman refused to rule out a return to the national side for Evans but stopped short of saying he will select him once the player is fit again.

Coleman’s side take on Bosnia tonight and said: “We’ve had a light discussion, but with all respect to Ched Evans and everybody involved, that’s not on my mind, it’s not on the players’ minds and not on anyone’s minds at the moment.

“The Bosnia game is at the front of my thinking and everybody else here.

“The Ched Evans issue is not going to help us get a result on Friday night.

“I’ve not thought about it. I’ve only thought about this challenge in front of me and us.

“It’s what we have concentrated on and what we should be concentrating on because that is how we will be judged.”