By Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw
It has been reported that an Inquiry, launched in 2019, by the Charity Commission, which is the Regulator of Charities in England and Wales, has found “serious management” issues at the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Charity - now known as the Players Foundation – which was set up to help former and current footballers.
In its Report, just published, the Charity Commission has found that £1.9 million (around €2.19 million) of funds from the Football Association, the Governing Body of English football, have been transferred from the bank account of the PFA Charity to the PFA itself, "without a clear explanation".
The Report also found that the PFA Charity also paid about 80% of the PFA operating costs - around £6 million (around €6.92 million) annually, including £5 million (around €5.77 million) on salaries.
Furthermore, many of the trustees of the PFA Charity – including the former chief executive, Gordon Taylor - held salaried senior PFA roles, which created a conflict of interests, as funding the PFA, which is a trade union, is not regarded, in law, as a charitable purpose.
The PFA Charity also owned properties in Manchester and London which the PFA occupied rent-free, which cost the PFA Charity more than £627,000 (around €723,000) when interest was added.
The £1.9 million and unpaid rent were repaid as a result of the intervention of the Charity Commission.
The Charity Commission remarked that:
"Remedial actions have now been implemented at the charity, including proper separation from the union, appointment of new trustees, and establishment of a distinct identity for the charity."
And added that:
"It has also adopted a new funding model, after the Football Association and Premier League stopped funding of the charity upon its separation from the union. Charity trustees have a duty to act in the best interests of their charity, but trustees at the Players Foundation fell dismally short of this expectation and, as a result, let down the players they were supposed to be helping."
The PFA Charity has welcomed the end of the Inquiry by the Charity Commission and has also stressed that no funds were lost or beneficiaries affected.
Prof Dr Ian Blackshaw may be contacted by e-mail at ‘