The FA have confirmed that England’s next manager will be an Englishman, amid speculation current boss Fabio Capello’s time in charge of the Three Lions could be coming to an end (England 9/1 to win the Euro 2012 tournament).
Capello’s current deal runs until 2012, including the European Championships in Poland and the Ukraine, and the FA insist that he will remain as the manager, despite the speculation.
“We are working on the basis that Fabio will be with us until 2012,” said the FA’s Adrian Bevington in an interview with BBC 5 live.
“The view beyond that, based on the discussions I’ve been involved in, is that we should have an English manager after that.”
The Italian tactician has found himself the target of the press yet again following his treatment of former captain David Beckham. Capello announced after England’s 2-1 victory over Hungary at Wembley that he would not pick the veteran midfielder for any more competitive matches and, while many pundits agree with his decision, the general feeling is that he handled the situation badly.
Beckham is England’s most capped outfield player, having represented his country 115 times, and has always made himself available for the national side. The FA and a number of England fans are unhappy with the fact that Capello revealed Beckham would not play again in a television interview, rather than explain the situation to the player himself.
The former AC Milan and Real Madrid boss oversaw England’s worst ever World Cup campaign during the summer and there were calls for him to be axed following the dismal display in South Africa. However, the FA chose to stick with Capello for the Euro 2012 qualification campaign despite the humiliating 4-1 loss at the hands of bitter rivals Germany in the last 16.
A well known Sunday tabloid newspaper has reported that Manchester City will try and tempt Capello away from England if Eastlands boss Roberto Mancini struggles in the early stages of the season (City 6/1 to win the Premier League). While press reports of this nature should probably be taken with a very big pinch of salt the media have started to speculate that the Italian is facing the axe from the FA, with other sources claiming he has just three games to turn England’s fortunes around.
England are next in action on November 17 in a friendly against France at Wembley. Capello has stated he will pick Beckham for the tie against the French as a farewell game but the former captain has insisted he has no plans to retire and will continue to battle for a place in the England side, despite Capello’s comments.
Bet on the World Cup and get £200. Click here to visit Bet365 and claim your free money.