Football Association chairman Greg Clarke has admitted he does not know if historical sex abuse within the game was covered up as the authorities tackle the biggest crisis he can remember.
Speaking as police forces around the country investigate historical allegations from more than 20 former players, Clarke was asked if offences could have been swept under the carpet.
He told Sky News: "I don't know if there was a cover-up or not, I really don't know. I suspect like many big problems, people aren't drawn towards them. My methodology is, if there's a problem, run towards it, embrace it, fix it, disclose everything that happened.
"I think institutionally, all organisations in the old days used to protect themselves by keeping quiet and closing ranks. That's completely inappropriate and unacceptable today.
"It's certainly the biggest [crisis] I can remember. I think the moral consequences of failing to deal with some of these issues in the past we must get to the bottom of."
Clarke also claimed society in general had been guilty of "sleepwalking" through the 1990s, unaware that offences were taking place.
He cited Operation Hydrant, a wide-ranging police investigation and the conviction of former British Olympic swimming coach Paul Hickson.
Clarke said: "I'm angry that society did nothing at the time. I looked at the evidence of Operation Hydrant -- I think they are up to 2,500 people under investigation across churches, youth societies, prisons, politics, the media, sport -- society seemed to have a total unawareness of the nature of the problem.
"The safeguarding rules were changed after an event in 1995 where the national swimming coach was convicted of mass child abuse, and that's when society started to wake up, the rules came in, the criminal record checks. But in the 1990s, society was sleepwalking and we were part of that problem."
The FA has launched an internal review with Greater Manchester Police, Metropolitan Police, Northumbria Police, Hampshire Police and Cheshire Police all looking into complaints made by former players.
Football has been rocked by the claims, which first came to light when retired player Andy Woodward spoke of the abuse he suffered at the hands of convicted paedophile Barry Bennell.
It has since emerged that Bennell, once a coach at Crewe Alexandra, was treated by paramedics and taken to hospital on Friday night after being found unconscious in what police called a "fear for welfare" incident.
Clarke said QC Kate Gallafent would lead the inquiry and he would not be speaking to any of his predecessors.
"I don't want to be accused of turning this into an old boys' inquiry, where all the people in football are talking to each other to make sure it's a manageable outcome," he told BBC Sport. "She will lead it, it will be her conclusions, we will act upon those conclusions and those conclusions will be disclosed."
On the FA's response to the scandal, Clarke added: "I think we've acted very quickly, to be frank. The main thing to do is not to encumber the criminal investigations of the police by tainting their evidence.
"We've agreed with the police that we won't talk to any of the victims formally, because they have to talk to them, they have to take statements and we're not allowed to interfere in that process."