Final whistle blown on Redknapp’s trial

Harry Redknapp yesterday welcomed the final whistle on his bung accusation “nightmare” after his acquittal for tax fraud cleared the way for him to land the top job in English football.

Within hours of his acquittal, England manager Fabio Capello stepped down from the job, four months before the start of the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

Even before Capello’s dramatic exit after a row with the Football Association for stripping John Terry of the team’s captaincy, bookmakers had slashed odds on Redknapp becoming the next England manager.