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Lord Triesman is to step down from his ministerial role to be the first independent chairman of the Football Association. The Minister for Students has been nominated for the three-day-a-week job and will leave his current role once his appointment is approved by the FA Council on January 16. The 64-year-old's CV apparently includes a spell on the youth team books at Tottenham Hotspur, the team he has supported all his life. Lord Mawhinney, chairman of the nominations committee, said: "He combines excellent managerial and leadership skills with a lifelong passion for the game."