Fabio Capello has today offered his resignation as England manager to the Football Association, which has been accepted.
“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,” said FA Chairman David Bernstein.
“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.”
The decision came after lengthy talks at Wembley Stadium regarding the manner in which the FA stripped Chelsea skipper John Terry of the England captaincy, but leaves the country with little time to prepare for UEFA Euro 2012.
Terry awaits court trial for his part in an alleged racism incident involving Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, and it is thought that Capello did not agree with the FA’s decision to step in, believing Terry should be considered innocent until proven guilty.
Whilst much of the press appears to be rejoicing having put into place a borderline xenophobic campaign to dismiss Capello for much of his tenure, the statistics tell a different story.
Admittedly Capello’s time in charge at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa was poor, with inadequate tactics exposed particularly against Germany, but his overall record is excellent.
Capello has won the highest percentage of matches of any England manager in history with 66.7% of his games in charge victories, and lest we forget, England didn’t even qualify for the tournament prior to his appointment.
Under Capello, major tournament qualification has never felt in doubt.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp is the favourite to become the next England manager – on the day he was acquitted of tax evasion no less – but the country’s fans should remember Capello’s legacy as a decent one.
As for the England team, it appears that Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce will take charge of the senior team’s game against the Netherlands.