Capello resignation rocks England

Fabio Capello last night plunged England into crisis by resigning as the national team manager just four months before the start of Euro 2012.

The Italian stepped down over the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy, which was made last week after the court case where the centre-back is accused of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand was adjourned until July 9.

Capello went public with his unhappiness at the decision in an interview with Italian television on Sunday night — infuriating his superiors at Wembley.

The 65-year-old then met with David Bernstein, the FA Chairman, and general secretary Alex Horne yesterday afternoon, where it is thought he made it clear that his authority had been undermined. In the course of the meeting Capello offered his resignation, which was accepted.

Yet Capello’s muddled reign is perhaps summed up by the fact he resigned over an interview given in Italian on a particularly English issue.

It was always thought by the media and supporters that the former Real Madrid and AC Milan coach never fully understood English football, or the role that he had accepted.

This was perhaps best demonstrated by his failure to master the language — Capello’s press conferences were agonising — and his muddled thinking over the captaincy, the issue that eventually brought him down.

Yet the dysfunctional nature of English football has much to answer for.

For example, in what other leading football nation would there be a clamour to replace a man who has won seven Serie A, two La Liga and one Champions League titles with another whose greatest achievement is a single FA Cup victory?

Make no mistake, this is Harry Redknapp’s job now.

That he was yesterday acquitted of two charges of cheating the public revenue only endears him more to the general public. After the prolonged failures of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Capello, it is clearly thought that it is time for an Englishman.

The first job for the successor, though, is to pick up the pieces of the wreckage left by Capello.

In the first two years after his appointment in December 2007 he was ruthless and successful. Now, he is seen as indecisive and a failure.

For his first trick, he masterminded the stunning victory in Zagreb and an impressive win in Berlin.

His reputation as a fearless disciplinarian was only enhanced when he removed Terry as captain for the first time, over the 31-year-old’s alleged affair with Vanessa Perroncel, the former partner of his Chelsea and England team-mate, Wayne Bridge.

The fact he stripped Terry of the captaincy for an alleged affair yet was happy for him to retain it after being accused of racial abuse is astonishing.

It was a decision that had to be challenged.

The same could be said of his thought-processes through the 2010 World Cup and beyond.

England limped out in the Second Round, humiliated 4-1 by Germany after a torrid Group Stage that included a goalless draw with Algeria.

The FA kept faith with Capello; he rewarded them by guiding the country to Euro 2012 without any undue alarm, but also laying the foundations for his current fall from grace when he reinstated Terry in place of Rio Ferdinand — Anton’s brother — saying ‘a year’s punishment is enough’.

To many observers, it seemed a matter of time until Terry erred again. Whether he has is a matter for the courts, but Capello felt compelled to resign after his authority was undermined.

The FA were not about to stop him — especially after Redknapp was acquitted earlier in the day.

“The discussions focused on the FA Board’s decision to remove the England team captaincy from John Terry, and Fabio Capello’s response through an Italian broadcast interview,” read Bernstein’s statement after the event.

“In a meeting for over an hour, Fabio’s resignation was accepted and he will leave the post of England manager with immediate effect.”

Now Capello is gone, the clamour for Redknapp to reconnect the England team with the common man will begin.

There are other, valid candidates. Stuart Pearce, Capello’s assistant, will take charge for the friendly with the Netherlands on February 29, but is perhaps too raw.

Alan Pardew is doing wonders at Newcastle, while Roy Hodgson has always been highly-regarded at Wembley. Jose Mourinho’s name is sure to be mentioned, as will Arsene Wenger’s.

But the problems in the psyche of English football are more than skin deep.

Capello arrived with a reputation as one of the strongest and most successful managers in world football.

He leaves humiliated. An Englishman may sort their ills. But don’t bet on it.