Ex-SFA chief David Taylor on the mend after collapsing while playing in match

David Taylor, the former chief executive of the Scottish Football Association, is recovering at home in Glasgow after collapsing more than five weeks ago while participating in a football match between Uefa and Fifa.

The annual clash took place on 30 September, but news of Taylor’s on-pitch collapse only emerged yesterday. It is understood Taylor, currently an executive director at Uefa following a spell as general secretary, stopped breathing for a period before medics managed to revive him with a defibrillator machine.

The match was abandoned and the 57-year-old Taylor was rushed to a nearby hospital in Zurich, where he is believed to have spent several days in intensive care.

Uefa spokesman Thomas Giordano yesterday revealed that Taylor had undergone surgery in the wake of the incident.

“David Taylor fell ill while playing football on September 30 and was taken to the hospital, where he stayed under observation for a few days,” he confirmed. “He has since undergone a successful operation and is now recovering at home. He will be back in the office soon.”

Taylor, who was a keen amateur footballer in his day, was said to be in “good spirits” following the serious health scare. A family friend added: “By all accounts it was a really distressing sight as the other players watched him being worked on in the centre of the pitch.

“It was a blessing that the match was being staged in a stadium which was equipped with all the latest medical equipment and that the right people were in the right place at the right time.”

Taylor left his role at Hampden Park in 2007 to take up the high-profile post of general secretary at Uefa, where he succeeded Lars-Christer Olsson.

He was appointed following Michel Platini’s successful campaign to become Uefa president before being moved to the marketing arm of the organisation in 2009, where he has remained in the time since.

Taylor held the position of chief executive of the SFA for eight years, succeeding Jim Farry in the role.

Among Taylor’s first major decisions was to appoint Berti Vogts as manager and he oversaw the subsequent reign of Walter Smith. The Forfar-born Taylor left shortly after Alex McLeish was appointed manager.

“I had seven years of pretty tough times, and you don’t wish that on anyone,” he said in an interview with The Scotsman four years ago, when reflecting on his time at the SFA.

“It was great when the team was doing well, but it’s odd… they always say that I appointed Berti Vogts, but I also appointed Walter Smith and Alex McLeish. Of course, it was the executive committee, but it becomes personalised.”

Taylor is credited with having set in motion the streamlining of the SFA. The old, unwieldy, 48-member council was replaced by a ten-strong board of directors who met monthly. Taylor also contributed hugely to the decision to award caps to more than 80 players who played for Scotland between 1929 and 1975. This signalled a successful conclusion to the campaign started by award-winning author Gary Imlach on behalf of his father, Stewart, who played for Scotland at the 1958 World Cup finals. Until 1975, distinctive tasselled caps were only awarded to players who took part in the Home Internationals.

His reign did, however, suffer a setback in 2002 when Scotland and Ireland failed in their bid to co-host Euro 2008. The tournament was awarded to Austria and Switzerland.

Taylor, who speaks French and German, is a lawyer to trade, having graduated from the University of Edinburgh. He qualified as a solicitor and practised law until 1985, before being made the first Director of Scottish Trade International.

He has enjoyed his time in Nyon, where Uefa is based. “The Swiss way of life is very appealing,” he said. “Look at the scenery. The view from my Hampden office was of Castlemilk. Now I’m looking at Lake Geneva with Mont Blanc in the distance.”