The Football Association has defended paying chief executive Mark Bullingham £1.32m last year – including a £450,000 bonus - saying he had "met and exceeded robust targets".

Bullingham is thought to be the highest-paid chief executive of a sports governing body in the UK.

The 50-year-old's earnings for the year ending July 2024 included a salary of £869,000 and the long-term incentive plan (LTIP) bonus.

The figure of £1.32m is an increase of more than 55% on the previous year.

In November, it was revealed Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney pocketed £1.1m, after scooping a bonus of £358,000 to go with his salary of £742,000 - despite an operating loss of nearly £40m.

The FA's annual accounts, published on Tuesday, shows the organisation recorded turnover of £551.2m for the year, up £69.4m on the previous year, and made a net profit of £49.7m.

In a statement, an FA spokesperson said the turnover was "the equivalent to a FTSE 250 company", so the chief executive's performance-based remuneration package needs to be competitive to "attract and retain high-calibre executives".

It added: "Mark has led the business to meet and exceed robust and ambitious performance targets on and off the pitch and deliver our 2020-2024 strategic objectives.

"In order to be competitive, the opportunity to earn a bonus and a long-term incentive plan are important - but payments are only made if performance targets are delivered or exceeded."