Mohamed Al Fayed is accused of sexually abusing former Fulham captain Ronnie Gibbons

A former Fulham Women captain has accused Mohamed Al Fayed of sexually abusing her at Harrods.

Ronnie Gibbons was 20 years old when the alleged incident occurred during the 2000-01 season.

Gibbons was captain of what was then Fulham Ladies, the first professional team in English football, when she says Al Fayed, the club’s billionaire owner, who died last year aged 94, tried to forcibly kiss her and force her into in a room above Knightsbridge department store.

“I just felt a lot of responsibility on my shoulders because we had just turned professional,” Gibbons told The Athletic. “Everything in me was screaming at me: ‘Ronnie, you have to go’ but I couldn’t because it would be my fault that all these women would lose their jobs and Fulham Ladies would go under.”

“I couldn’t let anything happen to me, but at the same time I couldn’t just run for the hills, which is what I wanted to do.”

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It is the latest in a series of historic allegations. The Metropolitan Police said it was investigating 40 new allegations against Al Fayed and others between 1979 and 2013, including rape and sexual assault.

The 40 new allegations relate to 40 alleged victims and are in addition to allegations known to police prior to the BBC investigation and documentary, Scotland Yard said.

Police said that while it was not possible to bring criminal proceedings against the late Al Fayed, they would “continue to consider whether other individuals could be prosecuted for crimes.”

The new allegations of sexual harassment, sexual assault and rape came in the weeks after the channel went on air Al Fayed: Predator at Harrods Documentary.

A spokesman for Justice for Harrods Survivors, made up of lawyers Dean Armstrong KC, Bruce Drummond, Maria Mulla and Gloria Allred, previously said the firm was “now serving 71 clients and processing a further 220 enquiries”.

Fulham told The Athletic: “We strongly condemn any form of abuse. We are continuing to establish whether anyone at the club is or would have been affected in any way by Mohamed Al Fayed, as detailed in recent reports. If anyone would like to share any information or experiences relating to this matter, we urge them to contact the police or the club at [email protected].”

Harrods said in a statement: “We are deeply appalled by the allegations of abuse made by Mohamed Al Fayed.” These were the actions of an individual who sought to abuse his power wherever he operated and we condemn them in the strongest terms. We also recognize that his victims failed during this time, and for that we sincerely apologize.”