Arsenal's Dein voted off FA Board

Arsenal vice-chairman David Dein has been voted off the FA Board by the Premier League.

Dein's place will be taken by Manchester United chief executive David Gill following a vote of all 20 top-flight chairman on the four Premier League representatives on the board.

The news comes as a surprise, with Dein having established himself as one of the most important figures in the game.

Dein came in for criticism over his influence on the FA's bid to find Sven-Goran Eriksson's successor.

Dein was perceived to have pushed the claims of Luiz Felipe Scolari, who pulled out of the running after talks with the FA in Portugal.

After being co-opted onto the panel to choose Eriksson's replacement, Dein is thought to have been a prime mover in the FA's pursuit of Scolari, only for the Brazilian to declare he did not want the job when a deal appeared to have been done.

Although Gill is as influential at Manchester United as Dein is at Arsenal, the Premier League clearly feel he is currently a more able representative on the four-man team which sits on the FA board on behalf of the league.

An accountant by profession, the 48-year-old has attracted plenty of admirers for the way he has run United since succeeding Peter Kenyon as chief executive at Old Trafford in 2003.

He has come under attack from Red Devils fans for continuing in his job
following Malcolm Glazer's controversial takeover after previously claiming the American's business plan was 'too aggressive'.

However, he continues to preside over one of the most streamlined football operations on the planet, even if Roman Abramovich's deep pockets means United can no longer claim the tag of wealthiest club in the Premiership.