Soho Square to revamp leader's role

14 April 2012

The Football Association is to conduct a thorough review of its management structure following the departure of chief executive Mark Palios.

The game's governing body is in chaos today after Palios quit last night following the revelation that he tried to cover up his relationship with FA secretary Faria Alam.

David Davies, the FA's executive director, has been placed in temporary charge at Soho Square as officials prepare themselves for an emergency meeting of the 12-man FA Board on Thursday.

Directors are expected to hear the findings of an inquiry by FA chairman Geoff Thompson into the sex scandal and whether England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson lied to chiefs about his relationship with Alam.

The FA board will look to Davies to steer them through the next few days, but he is also vulnerable himself. It is understood he put the allegations of the affair to Eriksson which led to the organisation denying the story - a denial they later had to withdraw.

And even if he survives he is not thought to be a contender as a permanent successor to Palios.

Instead senior members of the FA Board are now considering whether the job is too big for one man. One of the options the FA might consider as it begins its search for new leadership is a small team of executives who could cover the many different aspects of the FA's work.

Trevor Brooking, the director of football development, would certainly be considered a candidate for a leading role, perhaps working alongside a new finance chief and a marketing and communications expert.

An FA source said: "Given the way the job has worked out for the last two chief executives, one has to ask the question as to whether it is too big a job for one man alone. Perhaps there should be a team of senior executives in future and we will look at that when the dust has settled."

Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, said today that the FA was in need of reform following the controversy.

"Disarray is the right word," he said. "It has not been the most glorious moment in the FA's history.

"It brings to a head a lot of issues, the way they dealt with the drug-test problem in Rio Ferdinand's situation, the disciplinary system, the selection process." He added that England players had not threatened to strike if Eriksson is sacked this week.

Taylor said: "Players have never threatened that. They do have a mutual respect.

"The players would like to continue with Sven and have a good World Cup campaign with him. It was the FA who gave Sven a new four-year contract. It doesn't show them in a good light.

"There has been a non-stop campaign. There are people within the FA not happy with his contract, and the money he's been given. We have to appoint a manager for a long time and the next stage seems to be to try to get rid of him."

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Soho Square to revamp leader's role

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