Today Bernstein said the next England manager will ideally be English or British but must above all be "the best person" available.
The confirmation that the FA will consider overseas candidates, or even Scottish, Irish or Welsh candidates, may be seen as surprising, given it was widely expected that they would train the focus on finding the best English candidate available.
But, after all, this is the "Football Association" ... the biggest joke in European football.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp has emerged as the favourite, with Stuart Pearce second.
But when asked if the new manager would be English, Bernstein said at a Wembley press conference: "No, he will not definitely be English.
"Clearly there's a preference for an Englishman. The position hasn't changed.
"There's a preference for an English person or a British person but in the end we want the best person.
"So I'm not prepared to rule out anything at this stage.
"Clearly an English or British person would have a good start on the matter."