Retired striker tells Sky Sports News he has support "from all levels" to replace Gordon Taylor as chief executive
Thursday 30 April 2020 14:16, UK
Dave Kitson insists a change at the Professional Footballers' Association is "long overdue" after outlining to Sky Sports News his desire to replace Gordon Taylor as the union's chief executive.
The former Reading, Portsmouth and Stoke forward launched his candidacy for the role on Tuesday, as originally reported by the Daily Mail, where he detailed his intent to oust Taylor from a role the 75-year-old has held since 1981.
Speaking to Sky Sports News, Kitson - who went on to call the PFA's response to the coronavirus "an absolute embarrassment" - said the time is right for a change at the top.
"It's long overdue, to be perfectly honest," said Kitson. "This isn't something I've come across in one night, it's something I've been working on for over a year, gathering information and speaking to players, managers, and officials at the PFA.
"Certainly in the leagues wherever you go - from the Premier League into non-League - it's very difficult to find a good word about the PFA at the moment. That should not be the case.
"There is a general problem [at the PFA], but leadership always comes from the top. There has been some good work done at the PFA, undoubtedly, but I think the time is right for a change."
Taylor, renowned as Britain's highest-paid union boss, confirmed last month he will leave his post when an independent review into the workings of the PFA is concluded.
He will not be able to take another role within the PFA for five years, and over 300 current and former players are said to have endorsed an open letter calling on Taylor to step down.
Kitson added: "The people that I speak to, the players, the managers, the people that own football clubs even, are all in agreement - whether it's me or somebody else - that the time is certainly overdue for a change at the PFA.
"The questions I've posed in the Daily Mail will go some way to addressing exactly how we can bring about this change, but certainly there isn't an appetite for the current structure."
Former Bolton and Birmingham winger Taylor has come under scrutiny for the union's reaction to the coronavirus pandemic, particularly concerning policy on players' wages.
Taylor recently defended the PFA's decisions over wage cuts for Premier League and EFL players. Earlier in April, the Premier League proposed a 30 per cent pay cut for players, but the PFA said it would be "detrimental to our NHS" with a loss in tax contributions of more than £200m to the UK government over 12 months.
Players at West Ham, Southampton, Sheffield United, Watford and Aston Villa have since agreed wage deferrals while Arsenal's players have consented to a 12.5 per cent cut, and Chelsea's squad members have been asked to contribute to charity instead of foregoing a portion of their salaries.
Kitson queried the clarity of the PFA's stance during the coronavirus pandemic, while adding the union should have been instrumental in forming the Players Together fund for NHS charities.
"It's been an absolute embarrassment from start to finish," Kitson said. "We're still none the wiser what exactly their actual position is.
"All we know is that they told players not to defer any money. Jordan Henderson took it upon himself, to get together, talk with Harry Maguire and the other representatives at Premier League clubs to do the Players Together initiative, which is absolutely fantastic.
"That should have been led, from start to finish, by the PFA, instead of releasing pointless statements that no one cares about. They've just shown how irrelevant and out of touch they are at this time."
After starting his playing career with non-league Hitchin Town, Kitson played in the old Second and Third Division with Cambridge United before representing Reading in the Championship and eventually the Premier League.
A stint in the top-tier with Stoke City followed, and the striker went on to play for Middlesbrough, Portsmouth, Sheffield United and Oxford United before retiring in 2014.
This experience, in Kitson's view, has given him the required experience to be a suitable replacement for Taylor at the PFA.
"I've played at every single level," he said. "I started my career in non-league and I've seen very real struggles that players suffer; with mental health, bankruptcy after the game has finished, divorce.
"There are some many issues facing footballers that aren't being addressed - I've suffered with some of them myself, so I'm quite well placed to help my peers."
Asked about the response to his interest in the PFA role, Kitson replied: "Universally positive, I have to say. People who knew me during my playing career knew I was likely to step into something like this given the chance.
"I've got their respect and I've got their support. At all levels. That's the critical thing, there's no point getting just the Premier League on your side, football is the people's game and is played at various levels. You need the support of everyone so you can look after everyone."
