Gordon Taylor exit should see PFA overhaul, urges Dawn Astle
Gordon Taylor’s departure from the PFA should prompt a complete overhaul, according to dementia campaigner Dawn Astle.
The PFA’s long-serving chief executive announced last week he will stand down after an independent review into the union’s governance is completed.
And Astle is urging for any successor to be someone with fresh ideas after being left frustrated by the lack of progress on dementia in footballers under Taylor’s guidance.
Astle’s father, former West Brom and England striker Jeff Astle, died from the illness in 2002 at the age of 59 with a coroner ruling his condition had been brought on by the repeated heading of footballs.
„Whoever takes over – I don’t want someone from that old regime,“ Dawn Astle said. „I wouldn’t want it to be someone who has been with him before.
„I would want somebody fresh, away from that regime, who will fight tooth and nail for these things that are really important, as a union should do.
„Is there anything more important than your job killing you? This is something that is killing former players.
„This is something that should have been at the top of the pile for them but there was nothing until we kicked up a fuss.
„He can say, ‘We spoke to him and we spoke to him,’ but that’s lip service. What do you actually do that’s meaningful? We couldn’t find anything.“
The PFA, in conjunction with the Football Association, did initiate a 10-year study into possible links between dementia and football in 2001.
However this research was halted prematurely around 2006 with Astle left angered this did not come to light until 2014 and fresh research then did not begin until 2018.
She added: „Gordon asked me once why I wasn’t as angry with the FA. I said, ‘Of course I’m angry with the FA but I’m more angry with you because I expected you, as my dad’s union, to do more’.
„I have never said the PFA is a complete and utter waste of time. I know there has been great work. I know they have done some brilliant things but it could and should have done so much more.
„Yes it is commendable they started this research but what is not commendable, and is unforgivable, was this research stopped after five years.
„Then nobody had the decency or the good manners to actually tell us this had stopped.
„The original research failed and was put in a drawer. I think it would still be sat in a drawer now if we hadn’t kicked up the fuss we did. 12 years were missed.
„If we hadn’t caused this fuss would that research that started last year have been started?
„For me, no. It would still have been swept under the carpet. That’s really why I am so angry with them.“
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
.
