Gordon Taylor, the chief executive of the English Professional Footballers’ Association, has issued an “unreserved” apology for comparing the Hillsborough families’ campaign for justice to the Ched Evans case.

Dr Phil Scraton, the academic who was the primary author of the Hillsborough Independent Panel report, had urged the 70-year-old to make an “unequivocal and unqualified” apology after Taylor appeared on several media outlets including BBC Radio Merseyside on Friday morning to explain his previous comments regarding Evans’s proposed return to football.

“In his telephone interview this morning on Radio Merseyside, Gordon Taylor apologised for any offence he may have caused to the Hillsborough families,” said Scraton. “He then proceeded to compound yesterday’s crass, insensitive and wholly inapprsaopriate comments by stating that, ‘Ched Evans is a totally different case but he has the same belief of his innocence.’”

In response, Taylor released a statement on the PFA’s website in which he offered to telephone each individual family to personally apologise for any offence he may have caused.

‘Apologise unreservedly’’

“I would like to apologise unreservedly for linking the Hillsborough case with the situation involving Ched Evans,” read the statement. “The last thing I intended to do was to upset anybody connected to the Hillsborough tragedy, I can only apologise.

“I know the people involved and I will be very happy to ring them and let them know that. The point I was making was not to embarrass or upset anybody at all among the Liverpool supporters.”

Scraton had previously argued that Taylor had compounded his initial comments by failing to acknowledge a clear distinction between the Evans case and the Hillsborough families’ campaign for justice.

“The main reason that the case is ‘totally different’, as he puts it, is that Ched Evans was found guilty by a jury in a court of law for a grave offence – rape – and was convicted,” he added.

“Whatever the vilification endured by those who died and survived Hillsborough none of them were charged with any offence – it is not that they ‘believe’ they were ‘innocent’ of any crime, they are and always have been innocent.

“Given the continuing toxicity of the Ched Evans case and unhelpful interventions today by Steve Bruce that appear to question the facts and the verdict, Gordon Taylor’s apology for raising Hillsborough in this context should be unequivocal and unqualified.”

At his press conference ahead of their meeting with West Brom, Hull manager Bruce disclosed that he was one of the Premier League managers who contacted Oldham to give his support to their moves to sign convicted rapist Evans.

Oldham pulled out of a deal on Thursday after a storm of opposition but Bruce said that he believed Evans should have been given a second chance. The League One club’s chairman, Simon Corney, had said three Premier League managers had offered him their support and Bruce confirmed he was one of those.

“I have to be honest and say yes,” said Bruce. “I’ve known Simon for a lot of years now. He’d looked at the case too. He was of the opinion to give the kid a chance. I can only say on behalf of myself, I know I might be upsetting people but there is a question of the rape and how he’s been convicted by a jury. When you look at the evidence, it is there for appeal.”

Guardian Service