Brian Barwick, the FA chief executive, has admitted that the board had little alternative but to terminate the contract of Steve McClaren, the England head coach, after the team’s humiliating defeat by Croatia last night.

At a press conference at Soho Square this morning, Barwick revealed that he had spoken with McClaren to inform his of the FA’s unanimous decision in the wake of a 3-2 defeat that ended England’s hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008.

“It was a board decision, it was unanimous,” Barwick said. “I’ve spoken to Steve this morning. We’ve had many grown-up conversations and we had one this morning. In the end not qualifying for Euro 2008 comes up short.”

Asked whether he felt there was an argument for keeping McClaren, Barwick said: “The board thought not. Qualification for a major tournament is the minimum requirement and Steve accepts that.”

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However, the chief executive, who is widely believed to have been the driving force behind McClaren’s appointment, said that he did not regret offering him a four-year deal. “The contract is private but there were break clauses in it - but no, I don’t regret it.”

Barwick added: “I’d like to apologise to the fans. I care about this passionately. This has never been just a job, I care about football. Last night was very tough to take. We care about this very much, we don’t pass it on. We understand we have let fans down and we apologise for that.”

Geoff Thompson, the FA chairman, promised a full “root and branch” review of the England set-up in the light of last night’s failure but said that the search for a replacement would begin immediately. “The recruitment process begins now and we will do everything we can to get the right man,” Thompson said.

Although the board refused to comment on potential candidates, Barwick, who will be responsible for bringing potential candidates in front of the FA board, said: “I don’t think nationality will be an issue.”

McClaren did not appear to face the press.