Sampson was sacked last Wednesday for “inappropriate and unacceptable behaviour” in his previous role as manager of Bristol Academy.
This behaviour was the subject of a year-long safeguarding investigation which started in March 2014, shortly after his appointment as England boss.
Based on an anonymous tip-off about a relationship with a teenage player at Bristol, the FA investigation cleared Sampson from a safeguarding point of view but the 34-year-old was made to complete an education and mentoring course to address the player/coach issues raised.
All of this was detailed in a report the FA says nobody outside its safeguarding team read until 10 days ago, when another tip-off came that Glenn should reexamine the case.
Having done so, the chief executive’s response was swift and Sampson’s career in football may well be over.
vCard.red is a free platform for creating a mobile-friendly digital business cards. You can easily create a vCard and generate a QR code for it, allowing others to scan and save your contact details instantly.
The platform allows you to display contact information, social media links, services, and products all in one shareable link. Optional features include appointment scheduling, WhatsApp-based storefronts, media galleries, and custom design options.
Many wondered if Glenn’s FA career was finished too, as he has admitted to not asking more questions about the safeguarding investigation until very recently.
But as the board met at Wembley yesterday for the first time since the furore surrounding Sampson arose, the FA have given Glenn their backing, despite him and his senior colleagues having been summoned to appear before the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee next month to explain their handling of the Sampson fiasco.
The FA said in a statement: “A number of questions were raised around the historic processes which the board asked the executive to look into further with the appropriate external legal support.
“The board are confident that, consistent with the substantial positive change under the leadership of [chairman] Greg Clarke and Martin Glenn, the right procedures are in place to prevent a similar issue arising now or in the future.
“The board also discussed ways to continue to improve support for England Women’s teams and will consider recommendations on this when they next meet.”
Sampson has also been the focus of bullying and racism allegations for at least a year.
First made by Chelsea and England striker Eni Aluko, these claims have now been supported by former England midfielders Lianne Sanderson and Drew Spence.
The FA says these claims have been investigated twice, once by an independent barrister and Sampson has been cleared. He has also strongly denied the allegations.
But with the Professional Footballers’ Association already dismissing the investigations as a cover-up, an 11-strong panel of MPs will now grill Glenn and his senior colleagues.
In a statement, committee chairman Damian Collins said: “Following the sacking of the England Women’s coach, Mark Sampson, the Football Association must explain why it took so long to look into issues raised about the coach’s past.
“Why was he appointed in the first place? Why didn’t senior officials refer back to this information when a player stepped forward with serious allegations?
“Players have a reasonable right to expect their concerns will be taken seriously. The committee will ask why senior leadership at the FA failed to act without prompting from external organisations. This raises serious questions about their capacity to run internal investigations.”