Former Football League chair Greg Clarke has been nominated to replace the outgoing Greg Dyke as chair of the Football Association (FA).

Clarke was recommended by the Nominations Committee, chaired by independent director Roger Devlin and acting chair David Gill. The nomination was approved unanimously by the FA Board and Council.

The former Leicester City chair stood down from his position at the Football League last month and joins the FA during a difficult period for the organisation following a poor showing by the England team during Euro 2016.

Former West Ham United and Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce has since replaced Roy Hodgson as head coach for the national team.

The FA has also come under more scrutiny from the government for its governance structures, with sports minister Tracey Crouch telling the BBC that she will divert public funding away from the organisation to other bodies that deliver football if it “does not reform”.

Crouch’s sentiments echo those of former culture secretary John Whittingdale – with whom she worked with at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport before his sacking earlier this month.

Earlier this year, Whittingdale said he was “disappointed” that the football governing body had “rejected the opportunity to reform its outdated and unrepresentative governance model” and threatened to pull its £30m (US$39.3m, €35.8m) of exchequer and National Lottery funding, which is distributed by Sport England.

However, Clarke said it was an “honour” to be put forward as the next chair of the FA and that it was a “very important moment for English football”.

“I know all about the challenges we face and I am confident we are on sound footing,” he added. “I have a strong sense of purpose about what needs to happen next.”

If his appointment is ratified, Clarke will take over the position from former BBC director general Dyke, who brought an end to his three years in post last Thursday after conceding defeat in attempting to reform the body, specifically the FA Council.