Capello named as England coach
Friday, 14 Dec 2007 16:35
Fabio Capello named as new England manager by Football Association
Fabio Capello has been confirmed as the new coach of the England national football team, although contract terms have not yet been concluded.
Negotiations are set to continue today, which will confirm the Italian as only the second foreign manager to be given the top job in the English game by the Football Association after Sven-Goran Eriksson in 2001.
FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said yesterday: "Discussions have continued throughout the day between the FA and Fabio Capello's advisors.
"The FA board has also today approved Capello's appointment as England manager subject to the successful conclusion of these contract negotiations. These will continue tomorrow."
His anticipated appointment comes less than a month after Steve McClaren was sacked following England's failure to qualify for the European Championships in Austria-Switzerland next year.
It is understood that while the choice of Capello, who is not a fluent English speaker, has been embraced throughout the FA, Soho Square chiefs are less keen on his coaching entourage, which is thought to include his long-time confidante Franco Baldini in a sporting director-type role.
But Bevington added: "I want to stress that there are no problems and that we are going through the necessary process to reach a successful conclusion.
"We will provide an update tomorrow."
Capello's record as a club manager is impeccable – he has won the Scudetto with three separate clubs, although the two league titles he claimed at Juventus were later stripped due to the Serie A match-fixing scandal.
During his first spell at the San Siro he led AC Milan to victory in the Champions League, while two separate terms at Real Madrid saw the Spanish giants win La Liga titles in 1997 and 2007.
Despite winning Real's first league title for four years, Bernabeu chiefs dismissed him in the summer, allegedly because of his non-adventurous style of football.
With participation in Euro 2008 already squandered, Capello's first real task as Three Lions manager will be guiding his team to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.