Martin Glenn announced he is stepping down as CEO of the FA, according to Tom Morgan of the London TELEGRAPH. The announcement comes "just two months after the embarrassing collapse" of his proposed Wembley sale, but sources close to Glenn "insisted the decision was unrelated." Glenn, who has "also clashed with the Premier League on post-Brexit English quotas in recent weeks," will leave his post at the end of the football season. His three-and-a-half-year tenure saw England record its "best performance at a World Cup in 28 years," as well the Lionesses' third-place finish in '15, while the U17s and U20s both became World Cup winners in '17. He said, "I will leave feeling proud of the success of the performance of all the England teams" (TELEGRAPH, 12/13). The BBC reported Glenn "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 within the organization and in "wider football," including adopting the "Rooney Rule" for roles in the England setup. During his four years in charge, the FA's revenue has increased by 40%, which allowed the organization to invest a record £127M into the game for the financial year ending July 31, 2017. However, Glenn "has also attracted criticism for comments during his tenure and has had to deal with various controversies" (BBC, 12/13). In London, Adam Shergold reported the "off-field incidents" during Glenn's tenure include "Sam Allardyce's tenure as England manager," which was a brief one after he "discussed means of circumventing rules on players transfers while speaking to undercover journalists." Glenn "also had to deal with" the controversy surrounding former women's team manager Mark Sampson following revelations of "inappropriate and unacceptable" behavior with female players in a previous role at Bristol Academy (DAILY MAIL, 12/13).
