PFA CHIEF TAYLOR FINALLY UNVEILS REVIEW
GORDON TAYLOR finally announced yesterday that he had appointed a company to review the structure of the players’ union — three months after he said he would. The chief executive has recommended to the PFA board of trustees and the management committee that arbitrators at Sport Resolutions lead ‘a full and open review into the structure and operation’ of the union. It might be the biggest crisis in the 112-year history of the PFA but these are small, tentative steps being made by a man clearly reluctant to relinquish power in the office he has occupied since 1981. In a
statement issued yesterday with the assistance of leading political consultancy and public relations agency Portland Communications, Taylor, 74, even admitted ‘the terms of reference and scope of the review’ had not yet been finalised. He said: ‘There have been numerous meetings to organise the review and finalise the parameters and timeline. Sport Resolutions are in the process of constituting the panel that will conduct the review and will finalise the terms of reference and scope of the review. ‘The independent review will look into the governance; management; and policies, procedures and operations of the PFA, with the aim of ensuring the PFA operates effectively, in accordance with the highest standards and in the best interests of its members. ‘The panel will aim to submit its findings as soon as reasonably practicable. The key findings and recommendations will be published by the PFA as soon as practicable after its completion (whilst ensuring that any necessary confidentiality is maintained).’ Pressure has been mounting on Taylor since Sportsmail revealed the political crisis inside the PFA in November — in particular a power struggle between Taylor and PFA chairman Ben Purkiss — with further revelations by this newspaper of potential breaches of trade union rules and charity regulations leading to the launch of a charity commission regulatory compliance case. It was Purkiss who initially called for the independent review.