The senior FA official who abused her position by offering FA Cup tickets in return for an upgrade on British Airways is expected to keep her job despite such a serious breach of the FA rulebook.
Janie Frampton, FA national referee manager for education and training, promised two tickets to the Liverpool v Everton semi-final to BA staff member Brian Yip on condition she and three female referees were upgraded on their flight back to Heathrow from the Dallas Cup in America.
The FA inquiry into Frampton contravening their code of conduct forbidding employees to tout tickets in such a way went as high as chairman David Bernstein yesterday, after Sports Agenda revealed an email exchange between the FA executive and BA.
Against the rules: Janie Frampton offered FA Cup semi-final tickets in exchange for a BA upgrade
Frampton, currently suspended, is likely to be given a severe reprimand and lose her Wembley ticket privileges once the investigation is complete, but stay in charge of her referees' training department for the men's and women's game.
The FA said they were still looking into the matter but Malcolm Clarke, chairman of the Football Supporters' Federation, said: 'The tickets should have gone to real fans, not an airline employee engaging in a rather sleazy barter, which is very unprofessional on both sides.'