Rabbatts was addressing Leaders in Football in London when she spoke about the FA’s need to improve its presence on sites such as Facebook and Twitter.
The timing of her comments could not be more apt as the FA has come out with a new code of conduct for England players following players over-using Twitter as an outlet for their frustration.
In the case of Ashley Cole, it was a direct jab at the association when he reacted angrily to a disciplonary panel’s questioning his evidence in the John Terry hearing.
Rabbatts said that there was a disconnection between the FA and the public which would be improved by better use of social media.
“The legitimacy of governing bodies is how we are seen in the eyes of the beholder and we need to do much more to communicate how we make those decisions,” she said.
“I think we have to get much better at how we are trying to tackle issues of conduct and how we’re trying to deal with discipline and how those disciplinary measures are made.
“We need to get better at social media in how we communicate with the public.”
On the same day Ryan Bertrand was forced to apologise for an expletive-laden outburst when he tweeted that his withdrawal from the England squad to face San Marino was due to more than the “sore-throat” that had been reported in the media.
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