PFA’S £25M-A-YEAR HANDOUT AT RISK
Premier League yet to strike deal amid concern over Taylor conduct Astle daughter joins calls for him to go
THE PFA’s next multi-million-pound funding deal with the Premier League is at risk amid concern over the conduct of chief executive Gordon Taylor, Sportsmail can reveal.
The players’ union receive £25million a year from the top flight and have been expecting a similar sum in a new three-year deal from next season, which coincides with a new £4.46billion TV deal.
Though talks are under way, the Premier League are yet to sign up to the deal and may first want clarity about the way Taylor is running the organisation. It is possible the PFA may receive less money.
Further developments on another torrid day for Taylor and the union included:
Calls from the daughter of former West Brom striker Jeff Astle, who died of a degenerative brain disease in 2002, for Taylor to resign.
An attack by ex-Wimbledon midfielder Vinnie Jones, branding Taylor a ‘dinosaur’.
More players joining a group of former professionals now totalling close to 300 campaigning for change at the PFA.
There is likely to be alarm at the Premier
League over a Sportsmail investigation which has found that Taylor has not stood for re-election in nearly 40 years, in what appears to be a clear breach of both strict trade union rules and the PFA’s own rulebook, and is now embroiled in a bitter power battle with PFA chairman Ben Purkiss.
The Premier League’s huge pay- out to the union — which represents most of its income and funds Taylor’s £2.29m salary — was first secured when he threatened to bring the players out on strike in 1992. It has risen from £8m back then, with incoming Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore also made aware of the threat of strike action.
But with Taylor looking increasingly discredited, the likelihood of players refusing to play on his orders now seems extremely remote. His call that players unite behind him to ensure a good Premier League deal — which has always helped stave off challenges to his authority — may also fall on deaf ears given the growing animosity towards the 73-year-old.
The Premier League are likely to want evidence that an organisation they give such a substantial sum of money to has a clear election process.
The league has already taken back control of the money it hands out to the union, by specifying how it wants a significant majority of the £25m to be spent — on grants for players forced to retire early through injury, education grants and welfare schemes.
This means the league, which often incurs criticism for not putting enough back in, allowing the union all the credit for money which it is providing.
Much of the money which is available to be used at the PFA’s discretion goes towards Taylor’s wages, which have risen in line with the Premier League TV deals — from £900,000 in 2009, to £1.3m in 2016 and the current £2.29m.
Purkiss’s demands for an independent review of the PFA’s activity is likely to appeal to the Premier League, as it would bring the union in line with other leading sports governance organisations.
And the position of the 34-yearold Walsall defender appears to be growing stronger ahead of what could be a hugely significant PFA management committee meeting on Thursday.
Taylor has adjourned this week’s annual meeting because of what he says are concerns over Purkiss’s eligibility to remain as chairman because he is now at Walsall on a non- contract basis. But
Sportsmail can now confirm there are indeed two other members who are also non-contract players, Bury manager Ryan Lowe and Newport manager Michael Flynn.
Yesterday Dawn Astle, the daughter of the late West Bromwich Albion and England striker Jeff, ‘begged’ PFA members to support Purkiss and oust Taylor.
Jeff Astle died in 2002 and Dawn has repeatedly clashed with Taylor over what she regards as the PFA’s resistance to evidence that the disease that killed her father was linked to heading the ball.
In an interview with Sportsmail last week, Purkiss highlighted the fact that, despite £50m in their