FA and Lord Triesman at loggerheads over Capello deal
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FA faces tough questions over Capello contract
By David Bond BBC Sports Editor
The Football Association and its former chairman are at loggerheads over whether Lord Triesman played a role in renegotiating Fabio Capello's contract.
Triesman told BBC Sport that the England coach's deal was "done" by Dave Richards and Adrian Bevington.
Richards is chairman of the FA's international committee and Bevington is Club England managing director.
But FA sources insist Triesman agreed to renegotiate Capello's deal at a meeting on 22 April 2010.
Triesman says he reassured Capello, who was at that meeting, that the FA would not use the escape clause to sack him over a player ratings website which the Italian endorsed.
However the FA's former chairman disputes he gave the green light for the contract renegotiation.
"On my watch there was no significant contract which was not taken to the board," said Triesman.
Earlier on Tuesday, FA general secretary Alex Horne admitted failings in the way the governing body made changes to Capello's contract last summer, controversially removing an exit clause in the his four-year deal shortly before the World Cup, without referring it to its board.
"I'll hold my hands up and say, in hindsight, it should have gone to the whole board," Horne told a Department for Culture Media and Sport Committee inquiry into football governance.
"We hold our hands up to a corporate-governance mistake.
"David [Triesman] 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."
Triesman, who says he was never shown Capello's contract, was forced to resign soon afterwards following an unrelated tabloid sting.
Despite acknowledging the process of amending Capello's contract was inappropriate, Horne insisted those involved came to the right decision, despite England's dismal World Cup display.
"There was a contract through to 2012 for four years," he added.
While I'm chairman, it won't happen again
FA chairman David Bernstein
"Within that contract was a clause allowing either party to terminate for an amount of liquidated damages. We were coming under a lot of pressure in the run-up to the World Cup for certainty over whether Fabio was staying or not.
"There was speculation about clubs coming in for Fabio. Having qualified top of the group very comfortably, facing that uncertainty going into the tournament, it was exactly the right thing to do."
Triesman's successor, David Bernstein, vowed the way the contract had been renegotiated would never be repeated.
"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."
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