Fabio Capello Quits as England’s National Soccer Team Coach
February 08, 2012, 3:33 PM ESTBy Scott Soshnick
(Adds details on John Terry losing captaincy in second paragraph.)
Feb. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Fabio Capello resigned as coach of England’s national soccer team, the Football Association said on its website.
Capello’s resignation, effective immediately, follows the coach’s decision to criticize the FA on Italian television after it stripped John Terry of the captaincy before his court case in July for alleged racial abuse against another player.
The announcement of Capello’s resignation was made after the coach’s hour-long meeting with FA Chairman David Bernstein and General Secretary Alex Horne at Wembley Stadium.
“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,” Bernstein said in the statement.
Capello, 65, told Italian television that Terry should remain as captain.
Terry, who plays for Chelsea in England’s Premier League, will stand trial on the charge July 9, a week after the 2012 European Championship ends.
He is accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in an Oct. 23 Premier League match. He has denied the charge and his lawyers have pleaded not guilty in court.
It’s the second time that Terry has lost his captaincy. Capello stripped him of the role in 2010 over allegations of marital infidelity with the ex-girlfriend of former teammate Wayne Bridge. He was reinstated by Capello last year.
Capello was named national coach in 2007.
--Editors: Jay Beberman, Larry Siddons.
To contact the reporter responsible for this story: Scott Soshnick in New York at ssoshnick@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Sillup at msillup@bloomberg.net
