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Premier League Is Left Flat-Footed as New Leader Suddenly Backs Out

Susanna Dinnage will not be the Premier League’s next chief executive, the league announced late Sunday. Amanda Edwards/Getty Images for Discovery, Inc.

The English Premier League, soccer’s leading domestic competition, has been forced to reopen its search for a new leader after announcing that Susanna Dinnage, who was picked to replace the longtime executive chairman Richard Scudamore, had a change of heart.

Dinnage, a senior executive at Discovery Communications, would have instantly become one of the most powerful women in sports had she taken charge of the Premier League. In a short statement released late Sunday, the league gave no reason for Dinnage’s decision.