Parliament to debate a motion of no confidence in the FA's governance on February 9

Parliament will debate a motion of no confidence in the governance of the Football Association on February 9, the Culture, Media and Sport committee has announced.

Next week's debate could see legislation brought forward to force the FA to reform its governance structures after failing to do so itself.

Last October, sports minister Tracey Crouch gave the governing body six months to take meaningful steps to revamp its board and council but patience has worn thin and the FA now risks losing £30m of grassroots money from funding agency Sport England.

The debate has been secured by the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) select committee which published two reports under the Coalition Government calling for greater representation at the FA for fans and the grassroots game, as well as more diversity in positions of authority.

Last autumn, the Government published new guidance on best practice for sports governance, with a clear warning public funding would be withheld from national governing bodies that fail to meet the standards or at least make significant steps in the right direction.

In a press release from the CMS committee, chairman Damian Collins said: "The current minister for sport told the committee that the FA had been given six months from publication of the Government's guidance in October 2016 to demonstrate that it was willing to improve governance, otherwise public money would be withdrawn from the FA and distributed to football through other means.

"We do not believe the FA will comply voluntarily: it can survive easily without the Government's contribution of money to grassroots sport, and there are powerful vested interests that refuse to accept the right of all those involved in football to play a role in the governance of the sport.

"We are therefore preparing a draft bill to bring the structure of the FA, especially its board and council, more into line with modern company practice and the Government's guidelines for sports bodies."

In response to news of the parliamentary debate, an FA spokesperson told Sky Sports News HQ: "We are aware of the discussions next week around governance. The Government announced a code for governance for sports governing bodies last year and we are working to their timeline for implementation later in the year.

"Football like all sports is following due process and we remain committed to working with the Government towards compliance with the code."