The barrister leading the independent review into football’s child sex abuse scandal was forced to admit today that it will be delayed by at least six months.

Clive Sheldon QC and his team started the review in December 2016 and he had hoped to finish his work this month and hand it over to the Football Association. This, however, depended on the completion of three criminal trials against former football coaches.

Unfortunately, one of those, involving ex-Southampton coach Bob Higgins, collapsed and is heading for a retrial, while former Crewe and Manchester City coach Barry Bennell may face further charges following his fourth conviction earlier this year.

In a statement, Sheldon said: “Due to the ongoing criminal investigations and prosecutions, it has not been possible for all those who want to speak to the review to be able to do so.

“While I had hoped and expected to complete my review this autumn, I believe that this extension will ensure that many more individuals who want to engage with the review will be able to do so.

“It is essential that the review is as comprehensive as possible.”

Sheldon has not specified how long the delay will be, but it is understood that it may even be as long as a year, given the complexity of the Bennell and Higgins cases.

The review is looking at what the FA and clubs knew and did about allegations of abuse between 1970 and 2005, when it is commonly held that sport’s approach to safeguarding the young and vulnerable greatly improved.

It was launched shortly after ex-Crewe player Andy Woodward first went public with his tale of abuse by Bennell in the late 1980s — a brave and powerful account that prompted dozens of other former players to come forward with similar stories.

Charities, the footballers’ union and police forces up and down the country were inundated with leads and requests for help and FA chair Greg Clarke described the scandal as perhaps the biggest crisis the sport has faced in this country.

According to the most recent police statistics, 300 suspects have been named and more than 800 alleged victims have come forward.

Sheldon’s investigation was already running later than initially hoped because of the sheer quantity of evidence it has had to sift through, as well as the numerous interviews he and his team have conducted.

His report, when it comes, is expected to say there is no evidence of an institutional cover-up, as was conducted by the Catholic Church and other religious institutions, but will be highly critical of certain clubs and football’s overall approach to safeguarding in the past.