Byline: CHARLES SALE sports agenda
SIR Keith Mills was always a non-starter to become FA chairman because of an agreement made on a flight to Singapore more than five years ago on the way to the 2012 Olympics vote.
LOCOG chairman Lord Coe and his deputy Mills agreed that if they managed to win London the right to host the Games they would stay together until the closing ceremony in Stratford.
And Coe sees Mills as so important to the London cause there is no way he would let him be distracted by the all-consuming nature of the FA chairmanship, despite the Tottenham director's obvious credentials.
Coe said: 'Keith is going nowhere. We're preparing for the biggest sports event ever in this country and we couldn't afford to lose him.' Even before Coe's intervention, Mills never felt he had enough time to devote the attention the FA will need from their next chairman, due to be selected this week and brought to the FA board on December 22.
England 2018 international president David Dein remains the strong favourite from within football to become the next FA chairman, especially as a number of heavy hitters from outside the game have also turned down approaches.
These include top financier Lord Mervyn Davies, a Labour Government minister, and Martin Broughton, the British Airways and former Liverpool chairman.
