Football Association of Wales chief football officer David Adams has defended Craig Bellamy's decision to hold discussions with Burnley in the summer, insisting the Wales manager acted appropriately despite the controversy that followed.
Bellamy, whose contract with the FAW runs until the end of Euro 2028, has never hidden his ambition to eventually return to club management. During the summer transfer window, he entered talks with his former club Burnley regarding the vacancy left by Scott Parker at Turf Moor. Ultimately, Bellamy chose to remain in charge of the national team, later confirming that staying with Wales had been entirely his own call.
Speaking on BBC's Feast of Football podcast, available exclusively on BBC Sounds, Adams acknowledged that the situation became messy once details became public, but stood by the process. "The way it played out was unfortunate, things get leaked these days," he said. "Naturally, the longer things go on, people start to make their own noise in some respects."
Adams stressed that Bellamy had kept the FAW informed throughout, describing the manager's approach as consistently honest. "Internally, Craig has always been very open and transparent about opportunities," he explained. "We all know that Craig wants to eventually go and work in club football, he's made that very clear across his time here. For him to go and speak to Burnley was the right thing to do, knowing that he does want to do that at some point."
According to Adams, he maintained regular dialogue with Burnley chairman Alan Pace during the negotiations, mirroring the communication that took place in 2024 when Bellamy departed the club to take the Wales job. "We were happy for Craig to go and speak to them," Adams said. "And then unfortunately, the way it played out was that they were saying he had accepted the job when he hadn't. Craig was telling us the same thing as that and then one morning he rang and said 'I'm staying'. Craig's very transparent, we speak a lot, we get on well, so that's how it landed really."
With the possibility of losing Bellamy still looming given his stated club ambitions, Adams revealed the FAW keeps a running list of potential successors as part of ongoing succession planning. "I have to be alert to these things and I have to have a list of people in the background that I'd speak to if it ever materialised," he said, adding that the federation favors candidates with strong ties to Welsh football. "That's always our preference, to find someone who is connected to Wales, is passionate about Wales and has Wales in their heart. That's been a really good profile of manager to look at in the last 10 years and we would try and stick to that profile ideally."
Beyond the men's setup, Adams also touched on major developments in Welsh women's football. He called the announcement that Cardiff's Principality Stadium will host the 2029 Women's Champions League final a "game-changer," pointing to the sport's rapid growth in the country. He noted that crowds have surged from roughly 1,000 spectators at Rodney Parade to 15,000 at Cardiff City Stadium during the last campaign.
Wales' women reached Euro 2025 in Switzerland under Rhian Wilkinson, marking their first major tournament qualification, and are now targeting a first-ever World Cup appearance, continuing their 2027 qualifying campaign with fixtures against Albania in October. With the 2035 Women's World Cup set to be co-hosted across the UK, Adams said the FAW must continue building a stronger talent pathway. "Our goal is to create a pathway, which hasn't been there for women's football, where girls can actually play in a talent system which prepares them to play in tournament football on a consistent basis," he said, adding that helping players progress into Europe's top leagues remains the priority.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport Football.