It won't happen again - Bernstein

30 March 2011 07:30

Football Association chairman David Bernstein has vowed there will be no repeat of the lack of consultation with the body's board over changes to England manager Fabio Capello's contract.

On Tuesday FA general secretary Alex Horne claimed Bernstein's predecessor, Lord Triesman, failed to discuss with the board the controversial decision to remove an exit clause from Capello's four-year deal shortly before last year's World Cup.

That was strongly disputed by Triesman who denied he had anything to do with the alterations, stressing: "Changes to Mr Capello's contract were negotiated after I had left the FA and I know only what everyone read in the newspapers."

Horne admitted that the failure to involve the board was a "mistake", a breach of FA protocol which former Manchester City chairman Bernstein promised would not be repeated on his watch.

Addressing a Culture, Media and Sport committee inquiry into football governance, Bernstein said: "While I'm chairman, it won't happen again. I would ensure that proper governance is in place for those things."

Horne revealed last year's decision was taken by a handful of executives. Among them, Horne claimed, was Triesman, who resigned as independent chairman following an unrelated newspaper sting before the amended contract was actually signed.

"I'll hold my hands up on behalf of David Triesman and say, in hindsight, it was a whole board decision and should have gone to the whole board," said Horne, who was acting FA chief executive at the time. It did not go to the whole board."

After the hearing, Horne added: "He made a mistake."

Triesman, denying he was at fault, told Sky Sports News: "My expectation would have been, in accordance with my normal approach, that those who conducted the final negotiation and signed the document would have taken the contract to the board."

Horne refused to identify the other executives involved in the decision, which he insisted was ultimately correct, but admitted at least some of them were still at the FA.

Source: PA