Baroness Sue Campbell not in running to be new FA chair after Greg Clarke departure

Baroness Sue Campbell, the FA's director of women's football, is not in the running to be the new FA chairperson.

Campbell emerged as a leading contender to replace Greg Clarke after his ignominious departure in November, having missed out on the role in 2013.

However, the 72-year-old decided not to put herself forward before the January 9 deadline, believing she has unfinished business in her current role.

Her decision is a major boost to the women's game ahead of Team GB's participation in the Tokyo Olympics and the delayed European Championship on home soil in 2022.

Sport England director Chris Grant and former Liverpool FC Leadership Board member Abu Nasir have both publicly said they have applied for the chairperson role, while former Chelsea defender Paul Elliott, the head of the FA's inclusion advisory board, is thought to be a contender.

The FA is set to make an appointment by the end of March, with the governing body reportedly keen to finalise a shortlist of candidates by the beginning of next month.

Clarke resigned after making a series of offensive comments in front of MPs, including referring to “coloured footballers” and “Asians working in IT”.

Campbell's previous experience chairing UK Sport in the run-up to the London 2012 Olympics made her well-suited to the role and she would have been the FA's first female chairman.

Her immediate challenges as head of the women's game include finding a coach for Team GB at this summer's Games after Phil Neville resigned from his role as Lionesses boss early to take charge of David Beckham's Inter Miami.