The FA has been urged to reveal how it handled claims from footballers about sexual abuse after several former players revealed allegations of widespread abuse throughout the game.

Kent MP and chair of the Commons culture, media and sport select committee Damian Collins today said the Football Association needed to show how it dealt with claims.

He added concerns about whether there was a wider issue that reports were brushed under the carpet and whether people within the game "turned their gaze".

It comes after ex-footballers spoke out about alleged abuse they suffered at the hands of youth coaches during their times at professional clubs.

Mr Collins, the Folkestone and Hythe MP, told BBC Radio 5 live: "It’s chilling for football and sport.

"I’m going to be writing to the chairman of the FA to ask historically how have they handled this and have people’s claims properly investigated.

"As the case with sport it comes under the law like other any other area of life. The recurring questions for people within sport should similar to the inquiry into Jimmy Savile, should people have been suspicious earlier.

"Were there good grounds to be suspicious but people turned their gaze because it seemed too difficult and enormous and didn’t know what to do about it? It’s something sport and the FA needs to look at very seriously.

So far six players have gone public about the abuse they suffered at the hands of coaches at clubs across the country.

The claims surfaced last week when former Crewe Alexandra player Andy Woodward spoke about how he was abused by ex-Crewe youth coach Barry Bennell, 62, who was jailed for nine years in prison in 1998 after admitting sexual offences against six boys.

"Were there good grounds to be suspicious but people turned their gaze because it seemed too difficult and enormous and didn’t know what to do about it? It’s something sport and the FA needs to look at very seriously." Damian Collins

Mr Woodward's claims have this week been followed by former England player Paul Stewart - who played for Manchester City and Liverpool after starting his career with Blackpool - revealing he was abused by an unnamed coach until he was 15.

Today, three more of Bennell's victims went public as Chris Unsworth, Steve Walters and Jason Dunford appeared on the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire show.

Another player, who has remained anonymous, told The Guardian about abuse he allegedly suffered by a coach at Newcastle United.

Yesterday, sport minister and Chatham MP Tracey Crouch praised the bravery of the victims in speaking out publicly about the abuse they reportedly suffered.

The PFA's chief executive Gordon Taylor said the abuse claims ran into double figures but Mr Woodward believes it could be hundreds of former players.

The PFA is now calling for a full inquiry into sexual abuse claims within the game.

Mr Collins added: "The questions and challenges for the FA will be partly historical. A lot of these allegations relate to people with previous convictions. What was done at the time when it was clear there were problems around some of these people? Were there thorough investigations and opportunities for people to come forward.

"The challenge for sport and particularly football in this regard, is how easy is it for people to come forward and give evidence of people they have had direct experience with.

"There’s that obligation for a legal requirement for a duty of care you’d hope that organisation should have and safe spaces where a whistleblower can go.

"All the obligation seems to be on the whistleblower not just to come forward but to have all the evidence required to secure a conviction.

"What the FA has to do is look at it and say we may be aware there’s a problem but not all the evidence to prove it but there’s enough grounds for us to do some investigation discreetly."

The NSPCC says it’s had a huge response to a special hotline they opened so footballers could report abuse allegations.

The charity says more than 50 calls were taken in the first two hours of the phone line being open, one of the highest responses they've ever had.

Call the NSPCC hotline on 0800 0232642.