Glenn quits FA supremo steps down after Wembley sale fiasco

Resignation comes after collapse of stadium deal Governing body chief ‘tired of goldfish bowl’

Martin Glenn, the chief executive of the Football Association, handed in his notice yesterday, just eight weeks after the collapse of his proposed deal to sell Wembley.

The 57-year-old, who has also clashed with the Premier League on post-brexit quotas for English players, will leave next summer after, according to one friend, “growing weary of the goldfish bowl” in his £699,000-a-year role.

The announcement comes two months after billionaire Shahid Khan withdrew his £600 million offer to buy Wembley, but sources close to Glenn insisted the failed sale was not a factor in his decision. He is said to have been considering his position for months, having become keen to pursue a part-time executive role.

His departure also comes days after it was revealed the governing body had appointed a former policeman, Mark Davison, to investigate serious allegations made against Glenn by former Fulham assistant director of football, Craig Kline.

Glenn (below) denies the allegations and there is no suggestion that they influenced his departure.

Within the FA, Glenn is a popular figure, having slashed debt and increased revenue by 40 per cent. Since he took charge in 2015, England’s men’s and women’s teams have both reached a World Cup semi-final while the men’s Under-17 and Under-20 teams both won their age-group World Cups.

“I will leave feeling proud of the success of the performance of all the England teams,” he said, adding that it had been a “huge honour and a privilege”.

Glenn also oversaw a revamp of the English football fixture schedule with a winter break to be introduced from next season and has led the FA’S attempts to increase diversity, both at the organisation and in wider football, including adopting the “Rooney Rule” for roles in the England set-up.

An advert to find his replacement will be launched on Monday. A headhunting firm, Odgers Berndtson, has reportedly been hired and is likely to be briefed on finding an executive based away from the footballing world.

The FA chairman, Greg Clarke, said Glenn left an organisation that was “fit for purpose, more diverse, internationally respected and ready to progress to the next level”.

Ultimately, however, the failure to sell Wembley will cast a cloud over his tenure. Glenn had pledged support for Khan’s bid to buy the stadium, with the FA having wanted to invest much of the proceeds into grass-roots football.

But he was faced by strong opposition from the FA Council in October, and Khan pulled out of the deal. He was also rebuffed by the Premier League last month over his recommendations for a quota of 13 non-home-grown players even if Brexit is delayed or collapses altogether. There were other controversies. Glenn was forced to sack Sam Allardyce after just one game in charge and had declared “I’m not a football expert” after England flopped at Euro 2016.

Last year, he was criticised for his role in the investigation into the conduct of former England women’s manager Mark Sampson. The former Chelsea star and England international, Eni Aluko, also accused Glenn of actions that “bordered on blackmail” after claiming that he had withheld part of an £80,000 settlement she had reached with the FA.

Then, in March, he was forced to apologise to the Jewish Leadership Council after referencing the Star of David and Nazi swastikas in a discussion about the use of political symbols in football, during the fallout from the Catalan yellow-ribbon row involving Pep Guardiola.

Glenn had claimed as recently as Oct 18 that he was as “committed as ever” to his post, but it appears he had been harbouring doubts over his long-term future for some weeks.

The FA hailed his achievements while in charge. A spokesman said: “He has chosen to leave at the end of the season, having delivered much of what he came to do. We are grateful to Martin for all he has achieved and he leaves strong foundations for his successor.

“During his tenure he helped create the culture around St George’s Park and the England teams which has led to an unprecedented period of success for elite teams across all age groups.”

The new chief executive will not have to worry about performances on the pitch, but there will be other issues in their in-tray.

The FA invested a record £127million into the game for the financial year ending July 31 2017, but the loss of the Wembley deal, which Glenn had spearheaded, has cost a major cash-injection for the grass-roots game.

Last season, 150,000 matches were cancelled – the equivalent of 5,000,000 playing opportunities having been impacted this year because of poor facilities.

In his statement, Glenn said: “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.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my staff for their commitment and dedication to running our national game.

“Football has a role in society far bigger than the game itself and undeniably makes us richer on many levels, whether it be mass participation for both men and increasingly women, or the tremendous global appeal of our professional game. It has been a pleasure playing a part in this wonderful game.”

The Premier League executive chairman, Richard Scudamore, who will also imminently depart his role, said: “During his tenure the working relationship between the Premier League and the FA has been better than ever – as demonstrated by changes made to the football calendar which will see the introduction of a mid-season player break. I wish Martin deserved success for the future.”