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Capello resigns as England manager

ESPN staff
February 8, 2012
Fabio Capello has resigned as England manager © Getty Images
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Fabio Capello has resigned as England manager with immediate effect.

The Italian had courted controversy in recent days, after publicly disputing the Football Association's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy in light of an ongoing court case against the Chelsea defender.

Capello met with the FA board at Wembley on Wednesday to discuss the matter and, after a meeting that took over an hour, tendered his resignation.

The FA will hold a press conference on the matter on Thursday at noon.

"The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager," an FA statement read. "This follows a meeting involving FA chairman David Bernstein, FA general secretary Alex Horne and Fabio Capello at Wembley Stadium.

"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.

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

Capello was due to end his time as Three Lions boss at the conclusion of his contract following the European Championships in the summer, but the FA will now need to find a successor to lead the squad to Ukraine & Poland for the tournament.

"I would like to stress that during today's meeting and throughout his time as England manager, Fabio has conducted himself in an extremely professional manner," Bernstein said. "We have accepted Fabio's resignation, agreeing this is the right decision.

"We would like to thank Fabio for his work with the England team and wish him every success in the future."

Capello replaced Steve McClaren as England manager in December 2007, but only managed to lead his side to the second round of the 2010 World Cup in South Africa - his only major tournament in charge. He presided over 42 England matches - overseeing 28 wins, eight draws and six defeats.

Prior to the announcement, ESPNsoccernet had been informed that the FA had already lined up Harry Redknapp as Capello's successor.

"We have accepted Fabio's resignation, agreeing this is the right decision"
FA chairman David Bernstein

With Capello's contract having been due to expire at the end of Euro 2012, Tottenham boss Redknapp had long been tipped to take on the role, but his tax evasion case had raised doubts. The FA had been closely monitoring developments in the case but, following Wednesday's not guilty verdict, the path was made clear to offer the 64-year-old the job.

It remains to be seen whether Spurs would allow Redknapp to take on the role part-time until the end of the season, but former national team manager Sven-Goran Eriksson believes he is the perfect man for the job.

Eriksson told BBC Sport: "I think Redknapp will be a very, very good choice. He's English; he knows his football. He is doing a great job with Tottenham and has done a great job with every team he's had in the past, so I guess it will be him.

"You need to be an experienced manager used to dealing with the big names and some knowledge about international football would help. I think Harry has all these things."

However, it is England Under-21 manager Stuart Pearce who is expected to manage the senior side for the forthcoming friendly against the Netherlands on February 29, before the search for a permanent successor gets underway.

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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