GORDON TAYLOR will step down as PFA chief executive at the end of the season – ending his 40-year reign as arguably the most powerful union baron in the country.
Taylor, 75, has come under increasing pressure in recent years over his handling of the organisation.
Gordon Taylor will step down as PFA chief executive at the end of the season[/caption]
His departure, though, was signalled last year, to coincide with the promised Independent Review of the organisation.
The PFA has already set up a panel, including Gary Neville, to identify his successor.
Taylor and the union insisted his exit from the £2million per year job was not linked at all to the current criticism of the PFA’s role in dementia research.
The former Birmingham winger will make his formal announcement at today’s Annual General Meeting of the PFA.
Taylor said: “As I announced at our previous AGM, now that the Independent Review process has completed, I too will step down, by the end of the current season.
“A new chief executive will be elected following the recruitment procedure recommended by the Independent Review, and we have already made substantial progress in that direction.
“I will of course be available in the future whenever needed to support the PFA.”
Taylor added: “I am proud to have been part of the Management Committee’s hard work to design these new rules and to implement the Independent Review’s other recommendations.
“I commend our proposed new structure to you.
“It is the gold standard for any modern sporting organisation and a foundation on which I believe our organisation will continue to go from strength to strength in the years to come.”
The review has criticised the structure of the PFA, in what is a clear rebuke of Taylor’s micro-managing approach to running the union.
The current governance structure did not maximise opportunities for member engagement.”
Independent Review
It suggests: “The current governance structure did not maximise opportunities for member engagement.
“A new structure would help ensure an improved flow of information to members and allow for members to have a greater say in the work of their union.”
That will include a new players’ board to set executive salary levels including Taylor’s successor.
The review added: “The players’ board will be the supreme governing body of the PFA and the ultimate decision-making authority within the union.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
