FA CHIEF TO STEP DOWN WITH ‘PRIDE’
MARTIN GLENN yesterday announced he is stepping down from his role as FA chief executive after three years in charge.
Glenn has overseen one of the most controversial and dramatic periods in English football but it will end on a high note because of the success of the England team.
The 58-year-old, who will depart at the end of the season, said: “I will leave feeling proud of the success of the performance of all the England teams. I am confident that we have established in St. George’s Park a worldclass centre which will ensure that the teams will continue to build on their current successes.
“Running the FA has been a huge honour and a privilege but I have only been able to achieve what I have been able to thanks to everyone who works here.”
News of Glenn’s departure comes just two months after the FA’s proposed £1billion sale of Wembley to Fulham owner Shahid Khan fell through, but sources close to him insist that the two are not linked. They maintain that, after 20 years as a chief executive for various companies, he wants a break.
Amid the success on the pitch came the embarrassing Sam Allardyce affair, the ex-Bolton boss sacked after just one game in charge of England following a tabloid sting. Glenn was also FA chief executive when Roy Hodgson fell on his sword after the Euro 2016 disaster against Iceland. But he was to play a key role in the appointment of Gareth Southgate.
His tenure has been dogged by controversy, including the Eni Aluko scandal. But he will leave with the FA in the best shape for a generation, even if the collapse of the Wembley deal will always remain a disappointment as it would have improved grass-roots facilities.
Yet if his remit was to improve the national game, he has done his job.