(Reuters) - Welsh soccer's governing body (FAW) will not take action against chief executive Jonathan Ford for comments that ruled out an English candidate to replace Chris Coleman as manager of the national team.
The Football Association of Wales said it had reviewed the situation and accepted Ford's apology after he clarified the comments made in an interview earlier this month.
The FAW said in a statement on its website (www.faw.cymru) that Ford's comments were "taken out of context" and "not in the manner in which they were intended."
Ford had said in the interview that the FAW favoured Welsh people because "arguably the passion is there" before going on to add that the new coach would be "Welsh most definitely, foreign possibly, but definitely not English."
"The FAW and CEO will conduct a search for the new manager in an open and objective fashion, the appointee will be the best person for the role," the statement added.
Coleman sought a new challenge at struggling English Championship side Sunderland after failing to lead Wales to next year's World Cup in Russia.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru Editing by Jeremy Gaunt.)
