Football Association of Wales chief football officer David Adams has said Craig Bellamy was right to hold talks with Burnley in the summer, arguing that the Wales head coach has always been open about his ambition to work in club football.
Bellamy, who won 78 caps for Wales and scored 19 goals, is under contract with the FAW until after Euro 2028. He spoke to his former club Burnley about the possibility of succeeding Scott Parker at Turf Moor, but stayed in his national-team role and later said the decision to remain was his.
Adams called the way the situation unfolded unfortunate and noted that things get leaked. He said Bellamy had been transparent internally about opportunities and that it was correct for him to speak to Burnley because he has made clear he wants to move into club football at some point.
Adams also said he held regular talks with Burnley chairman Alan Pace during the summer, as he had during the process that led to Bellamy leaving the Lancashire club in 2024 to take charge of Wales. The FAW, Adams added, was happy for Bellamy to speak to Burnley, but the situation became complicated when Burnley were saying he had accepted the job when he had not. Adams said Bellamy told the FAW the same thing before ringing one morning to say he was staying. Adams described Bellamy as very transparent and said the two speak a lot and get on well.
With Bellamy’s future having come under scrutiny, Adams said he continues to assess potential managerial candidates as part of the FAW’s succession planning. He said he has to be alert to such situations and keeps a list of people he would speak to if Bellamy’s departure ever materialised. The FAW’s preferred profile, he explained, is a manager connected to Wales, passionate about Wales and with Wales in their heart, with former international players having been a successful route over the past 10 years.
Adams also welcomed the news that Cardiff’s Principality Stadium will host the women’s Champions League final in 2029, calling it a game-changer for Wales. Cardiff City Stadium hosted the event in 2017, the same year the men’s final was played at Principality Stadium, which is known as the National Stadium of Wales for Uefa events due to sponsorship rules.
He pointed to the growth of the women’s game, saying crowds for women’s matches at Rodney Parade were around 1,000 when he first came into the job and reached 15,000 at Cardiff City Stadium in the most recent campaign. Adams said young female players seeing role models perform at Cardiff City and Principality Stadium is inspirational.
Wales’ women’s team qualified for a major tournament for the first time under Rhian Wilkinson by reaching Euro 2025 in Switzerland. They are now chasing a first World Cup appearance and continue their 2027 qualification bid with a double header against Albania in October. The 2035 women’s World Cup will be held in the United Kingdom, with England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales all due to host matches.
Despite that progress, Adams said the FAW still has work to do. He said the goal is to create a pathway, which has not existed for women’s football, where girls can play in a talent system that prepares them for tournament football on a consistent basis. Adams said he does not think Wales are there yet, praising the girls’ regional programme over the last three years but adding that players must now graduate from that system and play in top leagues across Europe.