Capello gets green light to launch England revival

[Brasil]

Capello gets green light to launch England revival


Written by: AFP

	Fabio Capello, seen here in August 2007, began plotting England´s renaissance on the international football stage as his future employers at the Football Association (FA) put the finishing touches to the terms of his appointment.

LONDON (AFP) - Fabio Capello was Thursday given a green light to begin plotting England's renaissance in international football after the Football Association (FA) agreed in principle to his appointment.

After a day of talks with the Italian's advisors, FA officials were unable to wrap up all the details of Capello's contract but a spokesman for the governing body indicated that a deal had effectively been all but done.

The spokesman, Adrian Bevington, said Capello's appointment had been approved by the FA Board, subject to the successful conclusion of the contract negotiations.

"These will continue tomorrow. I want to stress that there are no problems and that we are going through the necessary process to reach a successful conclusion," Bevington added.

The former Milan, Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus coach spent Thursday at one of his homes in Milan awaiting official confirmation of his appointment as Steve McClaren's successor.

The details still to be resolved are understood to mainly concern the make-up of the new manager's backroom staff.

Capello was believed to have agreed a contract worth in excess of four million pounds (eight million dollars) a year up to the 2010 World Cup with a two-year extension as an option, presuming that England qualify for the finals in South Africa and perform well.

The 61-year-old reportedly wants to include long-serving assistant Franco Baldini in his backroom team and there were concerns within the FA about how this would would dovetail with the role of the organisation's current director of football, Sir Trevor Brooking.

Baldini however has indicated that the question of his involvement was not a deal-breaker.

Capello's path to what is the best-paid managerial job in world football was cleared when Jose Mourinho, the initial favourite to succeed McClaren, pulled out of the race earlier this week, having decided he would prefer a new challenge in club football.

In contrast, having achieved everything possible in the club game, Capello is at an age where he no longer craves the day-to-day involvement with players that many international managers miss.

His passion for the game remains undiminished however and he had made clear his enthusiasm for the "beautiful challenge" of managing England within 24 hours of McClaren being dismissed after a defeat by Croatia at Wembley ensured his team would not be going to Euro 2008.

Managerial luminaries including Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Sven-Goran Eriksson have all endorsed Capello's credentials.

Eriksson, England's manager from 2001-2006 and the first foreigner to fill the role, knows better than most the unrelenting pressure that goes with the job but said he was confident that Capello had the necessary personal and professional qualities to thrive in the spotlight.

"He is a very good man and manager," Eriksson said. "His record speaks very clear. He has won titles in Italy and is one of the best managers you can find."

Marcel Desailly, the AC Milan captain for much of Capello's time in charge at the San Siro, testified to his former boss's ability to get the best out of individual players and his teams.

"He's professional and very demanding, but I think that's what the England players need," Desailly said. "He will put them under pressure to deliver, but that is a good thing."

A tough midfielder who won 32 caps for Italy as a player, Capello initially worked as a business manager in Silvio Berlusconi's Fininvest empire before returning to football as successor to Arrigo Sacchi at Milan.

He led Milan to four Italian titles as well as masterminding their triumph in the 1994 Champions League -- their 4-0 demolition of Barcelona in the final is regarded as one of the greatest displays by any team.

Another five league titles followed in subsequent spells in charge of Real Madrid, Roma and Juventus, although Juventus were stripped of two of those as a result of the corruption scandal that rocked Italian football last year.

Capello's first matches in charge will be two friendlies: against Switzerland at Wembley on February 6 and against France in Paris on March 26.

He will not have a competitive match until September 2008, when England begin their bid to qualify for South Africa 2010 from a group that once again includes Croatia, as well as Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Andorra.

[Cristiano Best 07]

ONWARD ENGLAND! ONWARD! WE'RE ON OUR WAY TO THE WORLD CUP IN 2010! I'm going to post a suggestion to Mr. Capello in a little bit.

[egypt man]

new challenge for Capello

The English Football Association announced on Thursday that they have approved the appointment of Fabio Capello as the Three Lions' new manager.

"The FA Board has also today approved Capello’s appointment as England Manager subject to the successful conclusion of these contract negotiations," director of communications Adrian Bevington said on the FA website.

"I want to stress that there are no problems and that we are going through the necessary process to reach a successful conclusion.

"Understandably, at this time, we are unable to confirm any media activity that may take place. We will provide an update tomorrow."

The 61-year-old will succeed Steve McClaren, who was sacked following England's failure to reach Euro 2008 in Switzerland and Austria.

It will be the first time for Capello to lead a national team.

England will rely on the experienced tactician to help them regain their competitiveness in major competitions.

Although England are regarded as the home of football, their only achievement came in 1966 when they won the World Cup on home soil.

Capello proved to be a huge success with Roma, Juventus, Milan and Real Madrid. He won the league title with every team he managed.


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