FA chairman Lord Triesman has dismissed suggestions that the Football Association should hand over the running of the England team to the Premier League. The FA chairman also denied that the Premier League now holds all the power in English football, and hit back at suggestions his organisation is 'dysfunctional'.

Ian Watmore's shock resignation as chief executive came as a major blow to the FA, with Wigan chairman Dave Whelan calling for responsibility for the England team to switch to the top-flight's governing body.

He said: "I think Dave should re-read the Fifa statutes and he will find out we are responsible for the game overall in England, that's our mandate.

"I have no intention of seeing any of those rights given up and I think we are perfectly capable of doing it.

"If you look at the success of the England team at the moment under the general management of the FA and outstanding coach Fabio Capello, it's a bit hard to say we are getting it wrong.

"It could hardly be a better build-up to a World Cup in our recent experiences.

"Dave and I are not on the same page, that's spot on."

Triesman refused to be drawn on Watmore's relationship with Premier League chairman Sir Dave Richards, but said that he did not believe personality clashes had played a part in his colleague's exit.

And although he admitted the top flight is strong, he insisted it is not all-powerful in the game.

He added: "They run an incredibly successful league and that does make them a very powerful force.

"Our job is to try to bring together the different interests and get everybody to see the bigger interest overall.

"Does that mean we have a tough discussion on occasion, of course it does, but we are all grown-ups and surely we can have a tough discussion without it being the end of the world."

Asked if the Premier League are now calling the shots, he replied: "No."