Brooking's Svengate fear

Sir Trevor Brooking spoke for the first time today about the crisis facing the Football Association and admitted it would not be easy to find a replacement for chief executive Mark Palios.

The former England midfield player looks set to be asked to take temporary charge of the FA later this week following the dramatic resignation of Palios on Sunday night.

Although David Davies was given the task of acting chief executive yesterday, his own role in the Soho Square sex scandal is expected to come under intense scrutiny in the run-up to Thursday's emergency meeting of the FA board.

Brooking is seen as a safe pair of hands whose name has not been tainted during the Svengate affair and is expected to be asked to take over while inquiries continue into the PR fall out from England coach Sven Goran Eriksson's relationship with company secretary Faria Alam.

An able administrator, the FA board believes Brooking will help restore a semblance of public integrity at a time when the organisation's stock is at rock bottom.

He may even emerge as a possible long term successor to Palios, but may fear he does not have the financial skills needed for the role.

Headhunters will be appointed to start the search for a new leader with the vision to dig the organisation out of its present crisis but Brooking is under no illusions as to how hard it will be to find a replacement for Palios.

"In a short time he made a big and worthwhile contribution and, in my opinion, it won't be easy finding the right person to succeed him," said Brooking, who was appointed by Palios in January to the newly-created role of head of football development.

"He did some very good work for the FA at a difficult time. His particular area of expertise is finance and, in that sense he has made an excellent contribution to the FA and will be a tough act to follow.

"I was saddened and shocked when I heard he'd resigned. I consider him a decent man who brought me into this job and became a good friend."

Palios quit on Sunday and FA chairman Geoff Thompson is also understood to be under pressure to quit after he appeared to clear Palios of any wrongdoing for his part in the scandal last week.