Predatory paedophile ex-football coach Bob Higgins has been found guilty of 45 charges of indecent assault against 23 teenage boys.
A jury returned guilty verdicts following a retrial at Bournemouth Crown Court which heard that the 66-year-old sexually abused schoolboy players during 25 years.
The defendant ran the youth training programmes at Southampton and Peterborough Football Clubs and also spent a period as the Maltese national youth coach.
The trial heard that Higgins abused his “position of power” over the future careers of the young players in order to take advantage of them.
He was accused of groping them post-exercise as well as at his home and in his car.
Higgins, who showed no emotion as the verdicts were read, was also convicted of a further count of indecent assault at the original trial held last year.
The defendant, of Southampton, was remanded in custody to be sentenced on a date to be set at Winchester Crown Court.
He was cleared of five counts of indecent assault and the jury was unable to reach a verdict on a final charge.
Higgins was a former manager of New Forest club Bashley FC.
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