National player alleges sexual abuse in Australian football

Australia’s Lisa De Vanna, right, joined a national women’s squad aged 17 (Laurent Cipriani/AP)

Football authorities in Australia are urging players to make formal complaints in any cases of sexual abuse or misconduct after one of the country’s leading international goal scorers alleged she had been groomed and harassed by senior players early in her career.

Lisa De Vanna, who played 150 games for Australia and was second on the list of all-time scorers for the women’s national team with 47 goals, said she first experienced harassment, abuse and bullying in 2001 when she joined a national women’s squad aged 17.