PFA yet to set wheels in motion over union review

The Professional Footballers’ Association is yet to make a formal approach to Sport Resolutions to lead the promised independent review of the organisation, almost a month since chief executive Gordon Taylor made the recommendation.

Taylor ended a week of unprecedented criticism last month by agreeing to chairman Ben Purkiss’s call for a review into a body he has led since 1981.

On Nov 24, a statement from Taylor said that “today, I am recommending to the board of trustees and the management committee that the highly respected Sport Resolutions leads a full and open review into the structure and operation of the union”.

A spokesman confirmed yesterday that Sport Resolutions, a dispute settlement service, had not heard anything yet from the PFA and that no independent review had begun. It is understood that the review is being actively considered by members of the management committee, which is chaired by Purkiss, and that there is broad acceptance that Sport Resolutions would be an appropriate body.

The Charity Commission has opened a regulatory compliance case into the PFA Charity and it is understood that this will focus on concerns which have been raised about the salaries of senior staff, notably Taylor’s annual pay of more than £2 million.

The vast majority of the PFA’S funding comes from the Premier League’s broadcast income, which was paid as a donation and has totalled just under £52million over the past two seasons.

In announcing his recommendation for a review, Taylor defended the PFA. “The welfare of our members is the beginning and end of our work as we support them in the battles they face during their careers and in the long years after they retire,” he said.