24 Mar 2010FA to wait on permanent appointment

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance

The FA has announced that Alex Horne will work as a temporary replacement for chief executive Ian Watmore, whose resignation was confirmed earlier this week.

Horne was named acting chief executive following an emergency board meeting at Wembley yesterday (March 23rd), with chairman Lord Triesman indicating that a permanent appointment will not be hurried.

A statement from the FA board insisted that it has "every confidence in Alex, the outstanding staff at the FA and the managerial leadership in place within the organisation".

The announcement means that Horne will be at the helm for the FIFA World Cup in South Africa this summer and could still have the job in December, when the success of England's bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup will be decided.

Currently the FA's chief operating officer, the 37-year-old previously worked as acting chief executive following the departure of Brian Barwick in 2008.

Lord Triesman denied yesterday that "personality clashes" in English football's governing body had prompted Watmore to resign after just nine months in the role.

Written by Paul Roberts

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