Fabio Capello resigned as England manager after an explosive meeting in the FA chairman’s office, leaving the way clear for Harry Redknapp to succeed him.
On one of the most extraordinary days in the history of English football, Redknapp was cleared of all tax evasion charges at Southwark Crown Court just hours before the Italian walked into showdown talks with David Bernstein at Wembley.
Bernstein was furious with Capello for an outburst on Italian television in which he challenged the authority of the FA by criticising their decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy.
Capello was stunned by accusations of a gross breach of protocol when he met Bernstein and FA general secretary Alex Horne and he was in no mood to back down or agree to a conciliatory statement that may have allowed them to move on.
Instead the manager, angered that he was not consulted over last week’s decision to take the armband off Terry, has walked out with immediate effect, along with his coaching staff.
Tottenham are anticipating an approach for Redknapp. His contract at White Hart Lane has 15 months to run but chairman Daniel Levy is already considering a new offer which he hopes will persuade the 64-year-old to stay with a side pushing for the Barclays Premier League title and close to Champions League qualification.
The fact Capello has quit means any compensation, something the FA would not discuss, would be minimal.
The FA will announce their plans at a noon press conference at Wembley. They will reveal who will take charge of the national team for the friendly against Holland later this month, with the expectation being that they will turn to Under 21 manager Stuart Pearce and director of football development and Club England board member Sir Trevor Brooking.
But in the longer term it seems inevitable that England will turn to Redknapp, who is already known to have widespread support among the players.
On Wednesday night the Spurs manager was at home with his wife Sandra, exhausted after a harrowing 13-day court ordeal.
One sticking point could be his salary, given that the FA are keen to see that their next manager earns considerably less than Capello’s £6million a year.
But the clamour for Redknapp will be huge and the FA will try to play on the fact that no English manager would turn down an offer to take charge of the national side.
Capello arrived at Wembley at around 11am yesterday and was in the offices for six hours. He was entirely without allies, having alienated Bernstein, previously a supporter, with his comments on Italian TV.
Bernstein has led from the front since Terry’s trial for allegedly racially abusing Anton Ferdinand was adjourned until after the European Championship, and he had a mandate from the FA board to take personal charge of yesterday’s talks.
The FA directors had no intention of backing down after taking the moral lead on the Terry situation. They considered it inappropriate for the defender to skipper the England team when he was facing such a serious charge — one he denies — and it was Capello’s failure to recognise the sensitivity of the issue that has ultimately led to his downfall.
After the meeting Capello cleared his desk, leaving Bernstein to ring the rest of the board to explain that the breakdown in trust was irretrievable. It is understood he received their support.
In a statement issued, the FA said: ‘The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager.
‘This follows a meeting involving FA chairman David Bernstein, FA general secretary Alex Horne and Fabio Capello at Wembley Stadium.
‘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 Italian broadcast 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.’
Bernstein said: ‘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. 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 game’s leading figures were stunned. Manchester United and England defender Rio Ferdinand, who earlier revealed he was not interested in taking over the captaincy from Terry, tweeting: ‘So Capello resigns ... what now ...’
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere said on Twitter: ‘Shocked about news on Fabio Capello ... gutted to be honest, gave me my 1st cap and believed in me! Thank you Mr Capello! £GreatManager.’
Wilshere, who has not played this season because of injury, said Capello had a ‘massive’ impact on his career.
He tweeted: ‘People have there own judgement on Capello but for a young player who was given the chance to play for my country at such a young age ...
‘He has shown great belief and trust in me so I can only thank him ... massive influence on my career so far! Sad to see him go!’
On Wednesday night Capello’s son Pierfilippo said: ‘I have spoken with dad and he is fine. For the time being we are not going to say anything because that is the agreement we have with the FA. We shall see how things go and then maybe we will speak. It is too early to say what he will do in the future.’
Nevertheless, Capello was reported to have told Italian media: ‘They really insulted me and damaged my authority. What really forced me to take this decision was the fact the much-vaunted Anglo-Saxon sense of justice, as they are the first to claim that everyone is innocent until proven guilty.
‘In Terry’s case, they gravely offended me and damaged my authority at the head of the England side, effectively creating a problem for the squad.
‘I have never tolerated certain crossing of lines, so it was easy for me to spot it and take my decision to leave.’
The Capello camp last night claimed the quotes were bogus and also declined to comment on claims linking the Italian to super-rich Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.
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