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Brian Barwick was dramatically unseated from his position as Football Association chief executive last night after an irretrievable breakdown in his relationship with Lord Triesman, the chairman. The FA confirmed that Barwick will leave his post on December 31 after agreeing a pay-off on his £450,000 salary, with the former television executive choosing to jump before he was pushed.

Barwick’s position has been under threat since Triesman began work as the governing body’s first independent chairman amid much fanfare in January, but the suddenness of his departure is a shock.

With Great Britain enjoying a gold rush at the Olympic Games in Beijing, this was not an evening that showed the national game in the best light, with England playing poorly in a 2-2 draw against the Czech Republic. The FA had been planning to announce Barwick’s departure this morning, but news leaked out shortly before kick-off on a night when England were booed off by a large section of the Wembley crowd.

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Barwick’s relationship with Triesman has been strained for some time and his fate was sealed in a series of meetings in the past three days. He did not chair the FA’s weekly management board meeting on Tuesday, having missed the previous two, and his exit was confirmed in a meeting with the chairman yesterday.

Triesman’s influence has been steadily increasing since his appointment, with Barwick’s departure confirming his status as the leading powerbroker at Soho Square. The Labour peer, 64, is understood to have had grave misgivings about Barwick’s business acumen and doubted whether he had the skills to lead England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup. Barwick has felt increasingly sidelined in recent months and, without going as far as to offer his resignation, had concluded that his position was no longer tenable.

“I am sad to be leaving the FA - an organisation it has been a privilege to lead - but I believe it is in the best interests of all parties,” Barwick said. “I have always endeavoured to do my job with passion, decency and integrity and I believe I am leaving a strong legacy for the future.”

Triesman said: “On behalf of everyone at the FA I would like to express my sincere thanks to Brian for the stability and growth that he has brought to the organisation.”

The FA will not rush into appointing their fifth chief executive in ten years. Triesman has effectively been acting as executive chairman for several months and many of Barwick’s responsibilities have been taken over by Alex Horne, who was appointed chief operating officer in May. The leading candidate within the game is David Gill, the Manchester United chief executive and an FA board member.

Barwick achieved success in negotiating a new £425 million television contract and overseeing the opening of Wembley, but he will be remembered for the unhappy managerial reign of Steve McClaren. The appointment of Fabio Capello was received with greater enthusiasm, but the Italian’s honeymoon period is over.

Capello defended his side’s performance and insisted they are ready for next month’s World Cup qualifiers against Andorra and Croatia, but England needed an injury-time equaliser from Joe Cole to prevent a second defeat in five matches in charge. “I think tonight we took another step,” Capello said. “I’m happy. I saw a lot of things which I had doubts on. I think we’ll be ready for the next game."

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