The FA Board interviewed three candidates on Thursday morning. Following the meeting, Mr Barwick was offered the position, and he will commence his role on Monday 31 January 2005.

Mr Barwick is currently the Controller of ITV Sport, a position he has held since February 1998.

Prior to that, he was at the BBC for 18 years, where he acquired an excellent understanding of the sports industry, played a major part in shaping their sporting coverage, and held several key roles including editor of Match of the Day.

A passionate football fan, Mr Barwick was Senior Editor of the BBC’s 1990 and 1994 FIFA World Cup coverage and Producer of Football Focus between 1982 and 1984.

He left the BBC as Head of Sport in 1995. During his time at ITV he oversaw ITV’s biggest ever audience of 23.8 million viewers for England v Argentina during the 1998 World Cup. He was responsible for televising Manchester United’s dramatic 1999 Champions League Final victory over Bayern Munich.

He was also responsible for bringing presenter Des Lynam to the channel. More recently, he secured exclusive rights for the 2003 Rugby World Cup which ended in glory for England.

The FA Chairman, Geoff Thompson, said: “We are delighted to have appointed a new Chief Executive and we look forward to Brian joining us.

“We had a very strong shortlist of candidates but, in Brian, we have found an exceptional individual with the qualities and experience to lead a talented team of people at The FA.

“The FA is committed to the continued development of the game at every level, the highest standards of governance and the successful redevelopment of Wembley Stadium. This is good news for The FA and for English football.”

Brian Barwick said: “It has been a momentous day for me personally. I am looking forward to taking up the challenge of leading The FA into their next era.

“I must place on record sincere thanks to my colleagues at ITV for their support and understanding during this period.”