Talks on a new deal for England boss Roy Hodgson will be delayed until after Euro 2016 to avoid the “unsavoury position” that emerged with Fabio Capello after the 2010 World Cup, FA chief executive Martin Glenn has stated.
Glenn insisted Hodgson was “comfortable” with the decision to wait until after the tournament before talking about a new deal – his current contract expires after Euro 2016.
Capello was given an extended deal just weeks before the 2010 World Cup began – a tournament which then became a major disappointment for England and the FA found themselves saddled with the Italian.
Glenn, speaking at the Soccerex conference in Manchester, said: “Roy is very comfortable with the situation. What we wanted to avoid was the slightly unsavoury position we had with Fabio Capello at the end of the World Cup where it clearly didn’t work.”
England have not dropped a point in the qualifying competition and in July Hodgson questioned whether it was correct for the FA to delay a decision on his future until after Euro 2016 because it could generate speculation and uncertainty in the build-up to the tournament.
Glenn also revealed that the FA will make renewed efforts to secure a Great Britain women’s football team for the 2020 Olympics despite opposition from the other home nations.
He said: “It’s a huge loss [missing out on 2016 Olympics]. I understand the politics, which is national associations wanting to protect their position as a British team might put that at risk.
“There’s an elite group of three or four countries who see the Olympics along with the World Cup as the most important tournament. I think it’s a real shame.
“I wish we had had more time to persuade the Welsh, Northern Irish and Scots this would be a better thing but we are going to try really hard and there is going to be a lot of political pressure to make sure it happens in 2020.”
Glenn also suggested England is perceived as arrogant within the global game and said the fact the organisation is called ”the FA” – as the first governing body in football – is ”the ultimate expression of arrogance.”
Asked if the FA could be rebranded the ”English FA” Glenn said: ”Possibly. But it is not an ultimate priority.”
”What’s seen to be the case, we get interested in the international game when it suits our purposes … to host a World Cup. It’s a global game. We have to build global alliances. We have to be seen to be a force for good.
”I think we are perceived as arrogant. I don’t think we necessarily are but perceptions matter.”