The professional footballers Association charity was handed an official warning from the Charity Commission over "mismanagement" between 2013 and 2019, the BBC has learned.
The regulatory body has been looking into the organization that has been supporting the players of the past and present for many years.
The matter was later escalated into an official inquiry in the year 2020 because of "serious concerns" about the management of the body.
The Commission has advised the Charity that it is taking action due to "various failings...over the course of a long duration of. "
They also include a "failure to ensure its assets were being used in the most appropriate way by failing to review its longstanding relationship with, and payments to, a trade union" and a "failure to effectively manage and monitor PS1.9m of funds donated to charities that were taken out of the Charity's accounts. "
It also acknowledged that the Charity, now referred to under the name of The Players Foundation - had "taken steps to remedy the failings."
It also stated that it had considered the possibility of taking further regulatory action required for trustees. In addition, it "will take appropriate steps in that regard."
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It added that "failure to correct the situation could lead to additional regulatory actions being initiated. "
In an announcement in a statement, in a statement, the Players Foundation said: "No charity in the world has ever faced this level of scrutiny as we have. Each aspect of our work is under the microscope glass. It's been difficult for everyone involved, but we're happy with the findings and are extremely proud of the work we've accomplished over the past nine years.
"We are experiencing mixed emotions. We are happy that the organization can finally get moving, but sad that it's been hanging over us for too long. "
In an announcement in a statement, in a statement, the Charity Commission said: "Our investigation of the Players Foundation (formerly the PFA Charity) is in progress and we are unable to comment on the matter at the moment. "
In the documents viewed by the BBC, The Commission informs the Charity the warning is caused by:
- "failure to ensure that its assets were used to the best possible way in the absence of a review of its longstanding relationship with, and its payments to, a union. "
- "failure to effectively manage and manage PS1.9m of donations to Charity which had been transferred out of the Charity's accounts. "
- "failure to safeguard our best interests" as a Charity by not formalizing arrangements for the occupation of the property by non-charitable organizations, which included the failure to charge rent and failure to formalize lease agreements. The inability to charge rent led to the Charity was left with a loss of more than PS627,000 of revenue that could have been used to fund activities that would have served its purpose. "
The probe investigated the way in which the Charity was administered by the trustees.
In November 2018, it came to light it was revealed that PFA charity accounts contained staff expenses in the amount of PS4m.
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However, there was no additional information regarding how the sum was divided as well. As elsewhere in the accounts, it said the following "no salaries or wages have been paid during the year."
"The charity commission began by making allegations we could not understand and saying they had serious concerns," the Players Foundation told the BBC.
"When it comes to it, the concerns are boiled down to three areas. They recognize that we have rectified all the things we needed to do in 2019. The Charity hasn't made a dime here, and no beneficiary has been wiped anything in any form, way, or manner.
"We have spent more than PS67m helping players both past and present who require it the most. Our goal is to help with the greatest of abilities. Our fund structure has changed however, we believe that by reviewing our expenditure and optimizing the value of our investments, we will be able to make sure that we're in the hands of the people who require us the most. "
A PFA spokesperson said: "The Professional Footballers' Association, which is the union for players, has become a distinct organization of the Players Foundation - formerly known as the PFA Charity.
"The choice to legally segregate the union from what was previously known as the PFA Charity was part of a string of major changes to the organization that began two years in the past.
"This separation is intended to give the organisation more clarity going forward, and also to ensure that organisations operate within the legal and administrative rules. "
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