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Football Association chief executive Ian Watmore has resigned after less than a year in the post.

Watmore has stepped down after growing exasperated with the restrictions imposed upon him – in part due to the influence that the Premier League holds over the FA.

The 52-year-old informed Lord Triesman, the FA’s chairman, of his intention to resign last Friday. Triesman attempted to talk the chief executive into staying, but, after further talks today, Watmore’s resignation was reluctantly accepted.

“Ian Watmore tendered his resignation to me Friday,” Lord Triesman said in a statement.

“I asked him to reconsider but he has confirmed that his position remains unchanged and I’ve accepted it.”

A source told the Times: “Ian is disappointed with the way this has worked out. It boiled down to the realisation that the job wasn’t what he thought it was going to be. He took a position as chief executive which, ultimately, he found wasn’t chief and wasn’t executive.”

The news comes as a blow to the FA, who had seemed to have gained some much-needed stability under Watmore. However, the organisation will now begin the search for its fifth new chief executive since 2000.

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