Football Association chairman David Triesman insisted on Tuesday the English governing body would not rush the appointment of a new chief executive following Ian Watmore's shock resignation.
The FA board announced on Tuesday chief operating officer Alex Horne had been asked to become acting chief executive with immediate effect.
Triesman added no permanent successor to Watmore would be appointed before either the start of the World Cup in South Africa in June or the December vote on the hosts for the 2018 World Cup, which England are bidding to stage.
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Press reports suggested Watmore, whose decision to quit was announced on Monday after he'd had only been in charge for a matter of months, had been frustrated his plans for change had been blocked by what former FA official David Davies labelled the "conflicts of interest" within the English game.
But an FA statement, issued after an emergency board meeting at their Wembley headquarters on Tuesday, said: "Further to reports following Ian Watmore's announcement, the board are clear that the Professional Game has not blocked proposals for change.
"Additionally, the board does not accept that Ian's departure is down to any one individual or any personality clash with Ian."
