Fabio Capello expects to be sacked by England if his
under-pressure team fail to win their make-or-break World Cup match
against Slovenia in Port Elizabeth on Wednesday.
According to a source close to the manager, Capello is said to
be 'under no illusions' as to his fate should England produce their
worst performance at a World Cup finals since 1958 by being
eliminated at the group stage.
Anger management: The England substitutes catch the
full force of Fabio Capello
After the dismal 0-0 draw with Algeria on Friday, Capello
refused to be drawn on whether he would offer to resign if his team
fail again. 'It's too early to speak about that,' said Capello.
'We have to wait. We have time to answer that question. OK?'
Asked if England's poor performances were down to his management
or the team, Capello said: 'For a long time we were really good and
I'm training with the same systems that I have trained with for a
long time.'
Earlier this month, Capello agreed with the chairman of the new
Club England committee, Sir Dave Richards, to remove an escape
clause from his £6million-a-year contract, meaning neither the FA
nor the manager have the option of terminating the deal without
paying compensation.
But the Capello source said: 'This is football and we are under
no illusions. The new deal was set up as a show of faith on both
sides but if England don't go beyond the group stage, we expect the
FA to fire Fabio.
Man management: Fabio Capello has a word with
Steven Gerrard
'Before the World Cup, Sir Dave assured Fabio he's still wanted.
As things stand, nothing has changed in essence from the agreement
Fabio struck. We went into the World Cup with a spirit of unity, we
put that in writing, and that is how we intend to continue. We must
think positively.'
When the FA secured Capello's commitment to a new contract to at
least 2012, there was widespread acclaim, given his success in
qualification.
Yet no one envisaged the team failing to make the last 16 and
Capello will be under huge pressure if the team fail to
qualify.
If the FA did sack Capello, they would be liable for
compensation up to the value of two years of his contract. But
compensation is only payable if Capello is out of work - and the
Italian is unlikely to stay unemployed for long.
