World Cup 2010: Fabio Capello desperate to stay on to avenge England’s failure
Fabio Capello is desperate to stay on as England manager to exact “revenge” for the World Cup failure.
According to sources close to Capello, he is “embarrassed and angry” by England’s desperately disappointing campaign but, significantly, he firmly believes that the Football Association would waste the last 2½ years of good work if he was removed now.
The 64 year-old is also adamant that he has the energy and desire to succeed in the post and does not want to look for another job. If anything his determination has been redoubled by the setback and this may, in itself, convince the FA to keep faith with him.
FA sources stressed that Phil Gartside’s opinion that Capello was still “the best man for the job” was a personal one and that there would be a process to go through, including a convening of its board in the second week of July, before a decision was taken on his future.
However, there are clear indications that there is no appetite to sack Capello — who has two years to run on his £6million England contract following the costly removal of a break-clause on the eve of the World Cup — partly because he has been so adamant that he wants to stay.
Significantly, there is also pressure on Sir Dave Richards, who is chairman of the Premier League, as well as the newly created Club England, to decide which role he wants to take. It may lead to Richards concluding that he does not want to be the man effectively to remove Capello and there is nervousness that he holds dual roles.
Gartside had stressed that he did not “know what the outcome will be” after Capello revealed that Richards had told him, the day after the defeat to Germany, that the FA wanted two weeks to decide the Italian’s future. Importantly, Capello is understood to have accepted this time frame, although he does want to know what level of support he has.
The decision to pause for two weeks was prompted by a desire to let anger at England’s failure subside and allow the FA to make its decision in a less febrile climate, but it is clear that opinion is uncertain and that Capello retains the backing of significant figures.
Capello has already put forward a persuasive case to the FA that he should be given the chance to carry on and sort things out. If he does, general manager Franco Baldini will also stay.
Despite the tensions in the camp Capello is not blaming the players — such as John Terry or David James – for the failure.
Capello wants to get back into the international arena to restore his and the country’s reputation. “He is desperate to stay,” one source revealed.
Richards was asked by interim FA chairman Roger Burden to review Capello’s position and make a recommendation to the main board. He will work with Club England managing director Adrian Bevington and board members Sir Trevor Brooking and Alex Horne, the FA general secretary.
Last night one insider said: “The performances in South Africa were deeply disappointing but we have to ask whether we can afford to keep chopping and changing managers. Capello will have learned an awful lot about tournament football in South Africa and that would go to waste if he were to leave. And you have to ask whether we can even afford to do that.”
The lack of serious alternatives is also a concern. Roy Hodgson’s imminent appointment as Liverpool manager will remove the likeliest successor to Capello, while Harry Redknapp is facing trial on charges of alleged tax evasion.
Thank A lot ..telegraph.co.uk
