Paul Elliott, the former Chelsea defender and long-term anti-discrimination campaigner, has resigned as a trustee of the Professional Footballers’ Association charity, because of a breach of Charity Commission rules.
Elliott is the subject of an individual voluntary arrangement (IVA) with his creditors, which disqualifies a person from being a trustee of a charity unless the Charity Commission authorises it by waiving the disqualification. Elliott remained a trustee of the PFA charity after entering into an IVA on 21 September 2016, and no waiver was obtained. This meant that the PFA charity itself, which was formed in 2013 when the players’ union was reorganised, was in breach of the rules.
The Charity Commission confirmed that Elliott, a long-term PFA activist and charity trustee, has resigned, saying that he had been in touch with the commission in recent days. Elliott is understood to have entered into the IVA after becoming a victim of the former Charlton Athletic defender Richard Rufus, who was in 2015 found by a high court judge to have defrauded investors of at least £8m in a Ponzi-like scheme. Elliott’s resignation because of the failure of the PFA charity to obtain a waiver for him represents a further blow to the PFA, which has been the subject of sustained criticism and last week announced it will be holding a review into its operations.
The Charity Commission has now opened a regulatory compliance case into the governance of the PFA charity, in effect an investigation into whether it has complied with charity rules, following concerns about its governance and the £2.3m salary of the PFA’s chief executive, Gordon Taylor.
In a statement, the Charity Commission said: “The public rightly expect charities to live their values, acting at all times to maximise their positive impact on beneficiaries. We have opened a regulatory compliance case into the Professional Footballers’ Association charity to examine concerns about the governance arrangements and to clarify a number of issues relating to the charity’s financial arrangements and accounts. We will be engaging with trustees on these issues and cannot comment further at this time.”
Elliott, 54, has been a senior activist in football anti-discrimination organisations since finishing his playing career with Chelsea in 1994, including a 20-year involvement with the anti-racism campaign Kick It Out, from which he stepped down in 2013 after himself using a derogatory term to Rufus as Rufus’s fraud was unravelling and Elliott was facing substantial financial losses. Elliott is currently the chair of the Football Association’s inclusion advisory board, which advises on anti-discrimination and diversity practices within the FA.
In a statement, Elliot said: “As It had been well-documented, I was victim to a financial fraud several years ago, which saw me lose a significant amount of money. As part of my efforts to clear my obligations which I take incredibly seriously I explored entering into a financial arrangement that I knew might impact on my eligibility as a trustee of the PFA. On seeking initial legal advice, I was informed that the arrangement would not impact upon the eligibility criteria. However, following further clarification from the Charity Commission, it was confirmed that it would cause an issue.
“I therefore chose to resign my position as a trustee. The PFA has always been a big part of my life, while this was a difficult decision, I would not wish to do anything to undermine its great work supporting players and promoting diversity in football.”
