Capello claims Beckham appointment not a political move
Capello insists appointing Beckham as captain is not political
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Sunday, 01, Jun 2008 11:02
Fabio Capello insists his appointment of David Beckham as interim captain for today's friendly against Trinidad and Tobago is not a political move.
The England manager says Beckham was always one of four players who he had in mind to be a captain before he chose a permanent skipper for the World Cup qualifying campaign.
Critics had suggested the appointment of Beckham had something to do with his high profile in the region and was an attempt to help England's 2018 World Cup bid.
Fifa vice president Jack Warner is also president of Concacaf and used to be chief of the Trinidad and Tobago association and the decision to appoint Beckham was seen to be an attempt to appease him.
However, Capello insists the decision was his alone and that he was not influenced by the Football Association (FA).
The Italian is also adamant that he chose Beckham to be one of his captains for purely footballing reasons.
He said: "Beckham will be captain […] but the appointment is not a political move. I work for the game - not the political side of things.
"The political side is for the FA and they have not suggested to me that Beckham should be captain. There was no pressure put on me.
"No-one could do that to me. I decided as I have decided throughout my life and when I was manager of a club," added the former AC Milan and Real Madrid coach.
Capello says he does not know if Beckham will have a role to play in England's qualifying campaign but said he was always going to be in his plans until the end of this season.
He explained: "We had the four games and he [Beckham] was one of the players I was considering to be captain for a game along with Steven Gerrard, Rio Ferdinand and John Terry."
Capello said he was pleased with Beckham's current form following the friendly with the USA but admitted "it is impossible to know what will happen in the future".