Ian Herbert: Taylor is out of touch in rallying round Tevez
Comment
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There are far more significant alleged conflicts of interest where Gordon Taylor, the £1.02m-a-year chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, is concerned.
Such as whether it was in his members' interests for him to take a £700,000 out-of-court settlement from News International and, in return, sign away confidentiality on which players had had their mobile phones hacked.
Taylor has been unwilling to discuss that one, though he was forthcoming yesterday when an indignant Manchester City asked whether it was right that he should have acted as Carlos Tevez's union rep in his disciplinary hearing last Friday, then made the decision that prevents the club fining him more than two weeks' wages.
Taylor's declaration that a four-week fine is too severe puts him out of touch with the game and, almost certainly, with his members – though players generally don't challenge the 66-year-old's fiefdom. Taylor was actually right to observe that City have been unable to prove Tevez refused to enter the field of play against Bayern Munich. The club should have come out and said so, too. But a four-week fine too severe?
City's astonishment is compounded by their almost constant contact with the PFA since the Bayern game. City's football administration officer, Brian Marwood, an ex-PFA chairman, is – or was, until this week – an old friend of Taylor's. The PFA was instrumental 10 years ago in altering the disciplinary system which allowed clubs recourse to more than a fine of two weeks' salary – six weeks maximum, the deal being that the union must agree to the extension.
The PFA has always established that a player – Dennis Wise, Lee Bowyer and others – accepts this penalty before agreeing to it. City were convinced of the PFA's apparent support in this case, too. Taylor's decision to represent the player only compounds the mess for the PFA.
"I think it's a bit strange. Crazy," Sir Alex Ferguson said of Taylor's verdict. Beyond the football bubble, people may just see Taylor, the best-paid union leader in Britain, representing Tevez, one of the best paid players, and conclude that this is a sport without a handle on reality.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments