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The executive director of the Association of Professional Footballers, Gordon Taylor, will retire at the end of the season.
The 75-year-old has been the organization’s chief executive officer since 1981 and a letter announcing his resignation will be sent to members on Wednesday afternoon.
In 2019, the PFA initiated a “full and open review” of its finances.
This review was completed in July and it is understood that Taylor’s letter also contains his key recommendations.
Taylor announced the review in November 2018 following intense criticism of the players’ union.
At the time, he said that the entire management committee of the organization, including himself, would withdraw at the annual general meeting following the release of the report, which will take place on Thursday.
“As I announced at our previous annual general meeting, now that the independent review process has been completed, I too will resign at the end of the current season,” Taylor wrote.
“A new CEO will be elected following the hiring 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 as needed to support the PFA.”
Recently, the PFA has come under increased scrutiny around the issue of dementia, which is a growing concern for former players and the issue of outrage by some at the perceived lack of action and support from the PFA. .
Early Wednesday, John Stiles, son of former England international Nobby Stiles, who died in October, had asked for the resignation from Taylor and his leadership team.
The PFA announced its Neurodegenerative Diseases Task Force (NDWG) last week, which would seek to consult the likes of Dawn Astle, the daughter of Jeff Astle, and former Blackburn Rovers forward Chris Sutton, who has also criticized the union after that his father. , a former soccer player, was diagnosed with dementia.
Sutton has told BBC Sport that he “has no plans to join the task force and does not want to be associated with the PFA in its current form.”
The PFA also said it will continue to fund Dr. Willie Stewart’s research on the topic after the neuropathologist discovered last year that former soccer players were two to five times more likely to die of degenerative brain diseases.
And on Friday he called for training course to be reduced to protect current players while there is a potential link between course and long-term brain injury.
More to follow.
- This weekend, watch 13 matches from the second round of the FA Cup on BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app. Find out more here.
