Horne reveals Capello oversight

Football Association general secretary Alex Horne has revealed former chairman Lord Triesman failed to discuss changes to Fabio Capello's contract as England manager with the organisation's whole board.

The FA controversially removed an exit clause in Capello's four-year deal shortly before last year's World Cup, a decision Horne admitted should have been referred to the board. Instead, it was taken by a handful of executives, including Lord Triesman, who was forced to resign as independent chairman soon after following an unrelated tabloid sting.

Horne, who was acting chief executive at the time, told a Department of Culture Media and Sport committee inquiry into football governance: "I'll hold my hands up on behalf of David Triesman and say, in hindsight, it was a whole board decision and should have gone to the whole board. It did not go to the whole board."

Horne refused to identify the other executives involved in the decision but admitted at least some of them were still at the FA.

"I'm not comfortable sitting here naming four or five people," he said.

"The decision has been reviewed internally and we hold our hands up to a corporate governance mistake.

"David was the senior member involved as chairman of the association and clearly felt he had the authority to make that commitment.

"It was only after he left that the board questioned the decision."

Lord Triesman's successor, David Bernstein, vowed the situation would never be allowed to arise again.

"While I'm chairman, it won't happen again," he told the same inquiry. "I would ensure that proper governance is in place for those things."