Union chief Taylor open to scrutiny
GORDON TAYLOR, the under-fire chief of the Professional Footballers’ Association, has announced a “full and open review” into his running of the organisation after coming in for wideranging criticism.
The discontent was started by the players’ union chairman Ben Purkiss and about 250 current and former players are believed to have signed a letter asking for chief executive Taylor to resign. It has been claimed that Taylor’s role at the head of the organisation has not been open to challenge at all during his 37 years. It is a period in which his seven-figure salary has made him the highest-earning union official in the country.
But under mounting pressure, Taylor yesterday responded with a statement which said that all this criticism “must not be swept under the carpet”.
“We owe it to you, our members, to hold ourselves to the highest possible standards,” he wrote in a letter to PFA members. “We believe we do. However, I am adamant that criticism must not be swept under the carpet and instead addressed head-on.
“It is important that we are transparent, committed to constantly improving and restless in our mission to support you.
“We will, therefore, be recommending to the PFA’s Board of Trustees and Management Committee that an independent QC conducts a full and open review into the structure and operation of the PFA as the trade union for professional footballers in England and Wales.”
Purkiss highlighted failures in communication with members and specifically the lack of work done to offer support to those with mental health issues related to their time spent in the sport.
But Taylor defended his record. “I have dedicated the last 40 years of my life to professional football,” he said. “I am extremely proud of the work we do, supporting our members, whether that’s through training and coaching programmes, or promoting diversity and equality in the sport.
“I am happy to defend our record – including on issues such as mental health, diversity and player welfare – but I am the first to admit that there are always areas we can improve.”
Taylor’s critics await to see the precise details of the inquiry to ensure that an organisation that has been led by a single figure for such a long period of time can oversee a genuinely independent process.
But the move is supported by Dawn Astle, the daughter of the former West Brom and England player Jeff Astle, who died in 2002 of a degenerative brain disease.
Despite Taylor’s £2.2m salary and revenue of £28m, the PFA has agreed to commit just £100,000 into research into the damage caused by the repeated heading of footballs.