ENGLAND manager Fabio Capello is ‘‘very confident’’ Gareth Barry will be fit for the World Cup.

The Manchester City midfielder was expected to be sidelined for four weeks after suffering ankle ligament damage against Tottenham at Eastlands on May 5.

However, he was included in Capello’s provisional 30- man squad earlier this month and scans on Wednesday provided cause for optimism over the 29- year-old’s fitness for South Africa.

Capello told Sky Sports Italia: ‘‘His recovery time is shorter than we thought. We are going to decide next week. We are very confident.’’ Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney on Tuesday played down fears he was suffering from an ankle problem after being hampered by a groin injury during the latter part of the campaign.

The Italian added: ‘‘As for Rooney, he’s a very important player and he will be in South Africa. But he’s not more important than the team. He’s okay at the moment – he’s recovered and he’s 100 per cent.’’

■ The FA have moved to put two months of chaos behind them by appointing a new general secretary and announcing that the next chairman will need to have a ‘‘football understanding’’.

Alex Horne, a low-profile financial expert with seven years’ experience in various roles at the FA, will succeed former chief executive Ian Watmore who quit in March.

Horne will have a new title, bringing the FA into line with FIFA and UEFA, but has the same responsibilities as Watmore had before he resigned.

There has also been a move following a meeting of the FA board towards changing the rule that an independent chairman must have had a connection with football for the past 12 months.

Those rules, brought in following a review of the organisation, led to the appointment of Lord Triesman.

The board have now opened the way towards changing those rules by redefining the role.

Roger Burden, the head of the Gloucestershire FA has assumed the role of acting FA chairman and he could be in that position until the end of the year.

Burden said: ‘‘As a board we will now draw breath to define the role and search for a new independent nonexecutive chairman.

‘‘We will be seeking an individual who has football understanding and who can oversee the broad business of the FA.’’ There are strong feelings within the game for the FA to resist Government pressure and return to appointing a person from the world of football.

Ken Bates, the Leeds chairman, said: ‘‘I think the game should run itself, so far we have not seen any particular benefit from an independent chairman.

‘‘For all its faults, football is better run by football people.

‘‘We don’t want politicians telling us what to do when they can’t look after their own affairs which they are being very well paid to do.’’