On a day Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp was found not guilty of tax evasion, it is hard to imagine that news could be upstaged. But it sure was as Englandcoach Fabio Capello quit suddenly Wednesday evening after meeting with FA officials over the decision to strip JohnTerry of his England captaincy.
The FA issued a statement late Wednesday: “The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England Manager. Thisfollows a meeting involving FA Chairman David Bernstein, FA General Secretary Alex Horne and Fabio Capello at WembleyStadium. 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 Italianbroadcast 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 openly criticized onItalian TV the FA’s decision to dump Terry as England captain. Terry faces criminal charges of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand. The court case isscheduled for this summer.
“I told [Bernstein] that I don’t think someone can be punished until it becomes official,” Capello told RAI. “The court will decide.It’s going to be civil justice, not sports justice, to decide if John Terry committed that crime that he is accused of. And I thought it fair that John Terry keeps the captain’sarmband.”
The shock move leaves the FA scrambling to find a successor, only four months before the start of Euro 2012. The popular favorite to replace Capello is none other thanRedknapp.