Fulham FC has ‘taken precautions’ to protect players during its ownership

Dean Armstrong KC, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, told reporters: “And the responsibility for this systematic failure lies with Harrods.”

The legal team also represents women who worked at the Ritz in Paris and investigations are underway into “all companies in which he was involved”, including Fulham Football Club.

The legal team appeared in a BBC documentary called “Al-Fayed: Predator at Harrods”, in which more than 20 former female employees spoke to the broadcaster as part of a special investigation and made allegations of assault and physical violence in buildings in London and Paris.

Sources within Harrods have said the company has accepted vicarious liability for Fayed's conduct to settle claims from alleged victims brought to its attention since 2023 and has reached settlements with the vast majority of those affected.

It is understood that Harrods has received new enquiries since the BBC documentary aired.

Mr Armstrong said the legal team had been retained by 37 of Fayed's accusers and was “about to be retained by many more”.

Also present at the press conference was one of Fayed's alleged victims, Natacha, who said that the “instilling fear has paralyzed her.”

She said: 'These private meetings tended to evolve into a forced kiss, with his hands pressing your face to his lips or pulling you down onto his lap where his hands were free to explore any part of your body he wanted.

“These incidents lasted only seconds, but the fear they triggered paralyzed me.

“Al Fayed dismissed these moments as if they had never happened, but I was always reminded not to mention them to anyone.”