Watford part ways with academy head coach after bullying allegations

Darren Sarll was last month accused of humiliating several players

Sarll managed Stevenage between February 2016 and March 2018 (Getty)

The head of Watford’s academy, Darren Sarll, has parted ways with the club after allegations of bullying were made against him.

The 35-year-old, who joined the club last summer, was last month accused of humiliating several players with his behaviour. An internal investigation was launched after concerns were raised to the club’s safeguarding officials.

Sarll was suspended during this period but the decision has now been made to let go of the former Stevenage manager.

The club insists Sarll leaves on “amicable” terms.

A spokesman for Watford said: “We’d like to thank Darren for his efforts and achievements on and off the pitch, and wish him all the best for the future. Darren has brought a wealth of experience to his role, has been nothing but dedicated during his time at Watford and is now moving on to his next challenge, which we are sure he will make an equal success of.”

Sarll said: “I would like to thank Watford FC for giving me the opportunity to lead their Academy. There are a huge number of extremely talented staff and young people coming through the ranks and I wish all of them the very best for the future.

“Helping to coach and develop players is something I have always loved doing and I look forward to the next chapter in my career.”

Sarll managed Stevenage between February 2016 and March 2018, guiding the club to safety in League Two as a caretaker before landing the job permanently in May 2016. He held previous youth-team management roles at Brentford and Rotherham, where he worked with Andy Scott, who is now Watford’s sporting director.

Sarll’s role at Vicarage Road was to help older age groups make the transition from youth to senior football.