Brooking admits FA's mistake over Ferdinand

The Football Association's director of football development, Trevor Brooking, said Rio Ferdinand should not have been in a situation where he was not allowed to play for England but could still appear for Manchester United.

Ferdinand was kept out of international action by the FA after missing a drugs test in September, an offence which later earned him an eight-month ban. But the United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, was free to pick him, a situation criticised by Fifa, the world governing body. Brooking now admits the FA should not have allowed that to occur.

He said: "I think from the England point of view the FA took the stance that it would look as if we were using the opportunity to play him in Turkey and then he was going to be banned for England. You had the situation, certainly, where it's not right that he is playing for his club and not being able to play for England."

The FA are in the process of streamlining their procedures and Brooking, who meets a contingent of England players in Manchester today as part of that process, believes they are on track to solve the problem.

"It is up to the national governing body to make the decision," Brooking said. "If we get our act right then you know whatever Fifa feel, if they see us operating quicker and sharper then I don't think there'd be a problem anyway."

Sepp Blatter, the Fifa president, said he wants to meet Ferguson and United chief executive David Gill next month in an attempt to mend fences damaged by the controversy. "We are in England at the end of February and we are to see a match, Fulham versus Manchester United," Blatter said. "We will definitely try to meet at that time. By then the case should be over.

"Sometimes they [big clubs] do not understand the role or the part Fifa has to play and the responsibility a big club has towards the whole family of Fifa," Blatter added. "The Premiership is the most attractive league in the world and the one with the highest audience, so it has more responsibilities than others."