• International football

Capello: I would have done better than Roy at Euros

New Russia manager Fabio Capello has reignited his dispute with the Football Association - insisting that he would have taken England further at Euro 2012 than Roy Hodgson managed.

Capello quit as England boss in February over a dispute with the FA involving then-captain John Terry - who was stripped of the armband by the game's governing body as he faced legal proceedings over a racially-aggravated public order offence.

Capello, who maintained that Terry should be considered innocent until proven guilty, was adamant that his contract made clear that he had final say over captaincy selection. Terry was later acquitted of any offence.

Former West Brom boss Roy Hodgson was eventually appointed to replace Capello for the Euros, as the Three Lions went out of the competition in the quarter-finals after a penalty shootout against eventual finalists Italy.

The Italian insists England would have fared better had he been in charge.

"If I were with your guys [England] during the European Championships, it would have been even better," Capello said. "We had qualified for the finals and it was only the John Terry story that meant I couldn't go to the finals.

"On that issue with the English federation with my contract, it was put down on paper that the decision as to who would be captain should be made by only the coach. It was down on paper, in the contract, in black and white."

However, the FA later insisted that Capello had realised his comments on the matter were inaccurate and had apologised in private.

An FA spokesman told the Guardian: "Fabio Capello's representatives have since acknowledged, in writing, that the FA had the fullest authority in dealing with the matter [of the captaincy]."

Capello, who signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of his eventual severance package, nevertheless added at his unveiling as Russia head coach that he had been "pissed off" by the manner of his departure, indicating that his decision to take on another national team job was in part a result of a feeling of unfinished business at that level.

"With that contract I had in England, I was forbidden to speak about the English national team," he said. "That's why I cannot tell you anything now. I would like to, but I am bound by that clause in the contract.

"But I'd worked there for four years and, after what happened, I was pissed off, you know, and I wanted to stop. Every national coach works for two years towards a goal - that is the ambition of every coach - but I was not given the opportunity to fight for the Euros with England.

"When you are told this is the goal [and then things change] ... If you are always interfered with, you don't feel well. You feel ill at ease and pissed off. I wanted to be the main guy with the national team again and to take a team to Brazil. I wanted that again."

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