Dementia campaigners slam PFA chief Maheta Molango’s £150,000 pay-rise and brand the union ‘morally bankrupt’ following criticism over lack of support for former players
- Maheta Molango’s annual salary has increased from £500,000 to £650,000
- He replaced Gordon Taylor – who earned £2million a year – as PFA boss in 2021
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Dementia campaigners have described PFA boss Maheta Molango’s staggering £150,000 pay rise as ‘a slap in the face’ and branded the union as ‘morally bankrupt’.
The CEO, who replaced Gordon Taylor and took over in June 2021, has seen his salary rise to £650,000, with the PFA linking the increase to the cost of living crisis.
Taylor earned more than £2 million a year and Molango started with £500,000 but has now pocketed a 30 per cent backdated payment after what was effectively his first pay review.
The association has come under heavy criticism for its perceived lack of support for former players suffering from dementia.
And following Mail Sport’s campaign, steps have been taken to tackle the problems with a new dementia fund which opened earlier this year and provided £1 million.
PFA CEO Maheta Molango expects a 30 percent salary increase
However, that figure is seen by many as a drop in the ocean, and against that backdrop the strong rise of former Brighton and Oldham player Molango has not gone well.
John Stiles, whose father – England World Cup winner Nobby – died after suffering from dementia in 2020, criticized the move.
“The PFA are morally bankrupt and this just proves it,” said Stiles, who played for Leeds United and Doncaster Rovers, among others. ‘How can they ever justify this? It is typical of the PFA and it is a slap in the face to all those families who are struggling to pay for the care of their loved ones who are suffering from playing football.”
Stiles also claimed that the development illustrates that little has changed from the time of Taylor, whose salary was set by an advisory committee.
“Molango was not elected and, like Taylor, has carte-balance to do what he wants to do,” he said. “This is a misuse of money that should be there to help players. This is probably a new PFA. That’s laughable. It’s simple: it’s the old in new clothes. It is a kick in the teeth to all those who have lost people without help from the PFA.”
The PFA declined to comment.
Forty-one-year-old Molango, like Taylor, is the highest-paid union boss in the country.
Molango replaced Gordon Taylor, who stepped down in 2021 after 40 years as CEO of PFA
The PFA’s decision to appoint the 41-year-old came under scrutiny amid major concerns over the recruitment process
However, insiders say the PFA’s restructuring has led to a more transparent process in which an independent pay committee recommends salaries that are then signed off by operations and player boards. They also point out that this is his first pay review in two and a half years.
In any case, John McNamee Jr, whose father played for clubs such as Celtic, Newcastle and Blackburn, was also not impressed.
The McNamee family recently sold their home to pay care home costs for John Senior – who was diagnosed with dementia in 2016 – after deciding not to apply for money from the £1million fund as they believed that this would take money away from those who needed more money. more desperate than themselves.
“We got what amounted to a little more than Molango’s raise,” John Jr. explained. ‘Dad will now probably die in a care home without being a homeowner, despite a 13-year playing career. I’m surprised by this, but not surprised. It’s typical.’