FA chairman Greg Dyke orders probe to revive England national team

Greg Dyke speaking at a lunch hosted by England automobile manufacturer and national team sponsor Vauxhall. (Getty Images)

The Chairman of The Football Association, Greg Dyke yesterday admitted that he had no clue about the harm that the league would create twenty years after its inception.

The 66-year-old hoped that the cash rich Premier League would lead the Three Lions to glory and not another two decades of pain.

With the decreasing number of English players in the League, the new FA chairman said severe action is needed to be taken in order to curb England’s failure on the international football front.

“I was involved in the establishment of the Premier League when I was chief executive of London Weekend Television back in the early 1990s,” he said.

“I was the host of the original dinner when the five clubs decided to break away and set up the FA Premier League.

“Back then no-one could have predicted that the league would become the most successful league in the world.

“At that famous dinner, some 20-odd years ago, the participants genuinely thought a strong Premier League, attracting the best players from around the world to play alongside our English players, would help create a stronger England team.

“That was how the idea was sold to the FA and the main reason why they sanctioned the breakaway league.

“What none of us at that dinner could have foreseen was that we would end up with a league largely owned by foreign owners, managed by foreign managers and played by foreign players.

“I’m not being xenophobic but my job is to help ensure English football, particularly the England team, is in a healthy state.”

Dyke had all the statistics with him yesterday to demonstrate how many players Roy Hodgson has at his disposal as he looks to lead England into the 2014 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking at a dinner in London hosted by England sponsors Vauxhall, he said: “Twenty years ago 69 per cent of all the players starting matches in the Premier League were qualified to play for England. Ten years later that figure was down to 38 per cent. Last season, another 10 years on, the figure was down to 32 per cent.

A probe has been ordered by Dyke, which will look to stop the Premier League from denting England’s World Cup hopes. The FA chairman is open to suggestions including the ones from England’s top flight clubs.