Former footballer Darren Wilson has been banned from charity leadership roles for four years following a Charity Commission investigation.

The probe focused on conflict of interest and mismanagement concerns surrounding the charity the Players Foundation and the trade union the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) that it has links with.

Wilson, who played for Manchester City and Bury FC for five years until 1992, was handed the ban after the regulator found him responsible for misconduct and/or mismanagement in the administration of the charity, which was previously known as the Professional Footballers’ Association Charity.

Its report details that Wilson was a trustee of the charity and director of finance at the PFA at the same time.

During this period the Commission found that £1.9m of the charity’s money had been deposited in the PFA’s bank account in two separate transactions “without a clear explanation for the action”.

The regulator says it is “highly critical of trustees’ failure to spot the huge reduction in funds during their reviews” adding that the money plus interest was only returned to the charity “after the Commission raised concerns”.

Its report adds: “Subsequently, an alternative explanation was provided by trustees, who suggested that the funds belonged to the union but were held by the charity pending confirmation of their donation to the charity by the union.

“The inquiry found that the changing explanation provided regarding the £1.9 million demonstrated poor financial management and controls at the charity.”

It added that Wilson “had a greater culpability than the other trustees, due to his role as a qualified director of finance”.

Wilson’s ban, which follows a suspension, prevents him from sitting on boards or holding a senior management position within charities.

Wilson appealed against his suspension and ban over the course of several years, but this was withdrawn at the start of 2025. His period of disqualification is due to end in August next year.

‘Multiple instances of conflict of interest and mismanagement’

Charity Commission’s critical case lead Angela Ascroft said that the lines between the charity and the PFA “were blurred beyond distinction, resulting in the multiple instances of conflict of interest and mismanagement at the charity”.

She added: “Charity trustees have a duty to act in the best interests of their charity, but trustees at the Players Foundation fell dismally short of this expectation and, as a result, let down the players they were supposed to be helping.

“The Charity Commission’s extensive regulatory involvement led to the disqualification of trustee Darren Wilson. Since then, the Players Foundation is more separated from the union and can now focus on helping those it was set up to serve.”

The regulator says that the charity and PFA “are now more clearly separate”.

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