Brooking under fresh attack

The row over Trevor Brooking's appointment as the Football Association's new director of football development escalated yesterday with fresh criticism from the League Managers' Association.

John Barnwell, the LMA chief executive, confirmed that the organisation has made an official complaint to the FA over the appointment because Brooking does not have the Uefa coaching qualifications required for all Premiership managers. The complaint follows a claim by the Bolton manager, Sam Allardyce, that many managers are unhappy that Brooking will oversee the FA's technical department.

Barnwell said: "We want to know exactly what his role will be. Is he qualified to oversee the technical department? The answer is no. It took Howard Wilkinson 25 years of hard work - obtaining the badges and knowledgeabout the physiological, technological, nutritional and other issues involved in the technical coaching qualification- before he became technical director.

"It's nothing personal, but you understand all these top managers being unhappy when they have obtained the qualifications and then here you have someone without the qualifications in charge of the technical director.

"The FA say that Les Reed is acting technical director - but he is under Brooking just as he was under Wilkinson. We will be seeking greater clarification from [the FA chief executive] Mark Palios about what exactly Brooking's role is."

Brooking has announced that he had already begun a coaching refresher course before the controversy erupted.

Barnwell dismissed that saying: "The horse has already bolted." He added: "The LMA have actively supported Uefa's desire to make these qualifications mandatory. We have insisted that our members get the qualifications. Having done that it should come as no surprise that they are concerned at the appointment of someone who...has a remit to oversee these procedures but has neither earned these qualifications nor shown any desire to obtain them."

Brooking said he obtained a full FA coaching badge while he was a player at West Ham and he has enrolled on the FA's reassessment course for coaches who have the old qualification. He said: "The reassessment course concentrates on the elements that have been added in recent years.

"I decided to do this because I felt that in my new role I should be up to date with the education processes our coaches go through. We have qualified people teaching our coaches. I'm not coaching the coaches. I wouldn't have time.

"My job is about strategy, support and policy. I won't be telling anyone how to coach, but I will be doing the courses because I want to experience what's involved."