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Bernstein, former chairman of the English Football Association, has taken on some of the toughest challenges in soccer during his twenty year career at the top.
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Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge with David Bernstein / Getty
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David Bernstein’s services to the world of soccer have been recognized by her Majesty the Queen in her New Year’s honors list.
Bernstein who was obliged to step down from his role as Football Association chairman in the close season after reaching the mandatory retirement age of 70 was also recognized for previous challenging positions that he has held in the world of soccer.
David Bernstein began his career as administrator in the world of soccer in 1994 when he was initially appointed to become a member of the board at Manchester City, being appointed to replace the outgoing chairman Francis Lee in 1998.
When Bernstein came to the club, which he admits to having supported since he was a youth they were very much in the shadow of the Manchester neighbors, United. However under Bernstein’s stewardship, City succeeded in restoring much of their previous credibility and with the return to financial stability, their results began to improve on the football field.
When Bernstein left Manchester City in 2003 they were back again firmly established as one of England’s top soccer clubs.
During his time as chairman of the Wembley Stadium in London, the English National Soccer Stadium, Bernstein’s excellent administrative abilities saw him oversee the major construction of the hundred-year-old stadium and was there to see the stadium evolve to becoming one of the most modern and impressive sporting stadiums in the world.
Bernstein was selected to replace the outgoing Lord Triesman’s replacement by the FA Council in December 2010, taking a position of FA chairman on January 2011.
One of his major roles during as chairman of the FA was to reduce levels of dissent amongst the players, establishing closer links with the global soccer ruling body FIFA, restore some of the lost influence of the English Football Association in international football as well as handling the increasingly problematic of vast sums of money flowing into English soccer at club level through foreign ownership.
Summing up his time as chairman of the FA Bernstein recalled that his greatest satisfaction was being involved with development at the grassroots and in disabled football, and then tackling the growing problem of discrimination, particularly against colored players.
Despite no longer be involved in English soccer at an administrative level Bernstein has remained a member of FIFA’s discrimination task force.
Bernstein is also President of Level Playing Field and Chair of the Centre for Access to Football in Europe.
Apart from his twenty-year stint in the world of soccer David Bernstein enjoyed an active career in the world of business, acting as a chairman of the French Connection fashion retail chain in the UK
Bernstein will remain chairman of fashion label Ted Baker, and is due to take over the role of Chairman of the British Red Cross on the Ist of January.
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