Sir David Richards denies personality clash forced Ian Watmore out of FA

Sir David Richards has denied that a personality clash with Ian Watmore precipitated the resignation of the Football Association's chief executive yesterday. The Premier League chairman told Sky Sports News the claim was "utter rubbish" as he turned up for an emergency meeting of the FA board at Wembley today. It has been suggested that Watmore opposed the slow-moving committee structure of the FA, and believed he was being blocked by Richards and another Premier League representative, including Phil Gartside of Bolton Wanderers, on a number of issues. The FA chairman, Lord Triesman, said he spent the weekend trying to persuade Watmore to withdraw the resignation letter he handed in on Friday but on Saturday morning an email was leaked of a briefing given to the board and other senior FA figures on the appointment of the new marketing and communications director, Julian Eccles. The briefing gave guidance on how to answer media queries on the former Department of Culture special adviser, who, like Triesman and Watmore, might be viewed as another political appointment. In response to the leak, Watmore sent out an angry email to board members which said: "I don't know which sad person thought to brief yesterday but we know it had to be from this list as you are the only people who received it. "I have three things to say: There's not a cigarette paper between me and the chairman on any issue and he is a man of ethics, character and courage, rare in my experience of any walk of life let alone football. "If I ever find the person who leaked the briefing then I will ensure that that person's reputation is damaged beyond repair. This is the last time I share any information in advance."