Ronnie Gibbons
Ronnie Suzanne Gibbons is a former professional footballer. She played as a right-back for Fulham Ladies and the Republic of Ireland national team.
Club career
Gibbons joined Fulham as a 13-year-old and became captain at the age of 17. Three years later in 2000, when Fulham became the first full-time professional women's football club in Europe, Gibbons was one of six existing players to be kept on. The more experienced Katrine Pedersen took over the captaincy during the 2000–01 season, as Fulham won the South East Combination but lost the FA Women's Cup final to Arsenal.Over the next two seasons Gibbons remained with Fulham as they won successive trebles of FA Women's Premier [League Southern Division|Southern Premier], League Cup and FA Women's Cup in 2001–02 and National Premier, League Cup and FA Women's Cup in 2002–03. She was named as a substitute in both FA Women's Cup final wins.
Gibbons joined Charlton Athletic shortly after Fulham reverted to semi-pro status in 2003. She made her debut against Tranmere Rovers on 9 November 2003.
On, in an interview with The Athletic, Gibbons alleged that Fulham's owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions in the year 2000, while she played for the club. In the interview, she said she felt she could not leave the club because doing so would cause the collapse of Fulham's women's team. Gibbions' allegations formed one part of a vast array of sexual misconduct allegations against Al-Fayed.