Fabio Capello Resignation: Cameron 'Sorry' England Boss Quit As Italian 'Gagged' By Contract
Ex-England boss Fabio Capello has been 'gagged' under the terms of his contract with the Football Association, it has been claimed, and will not be commenting on his resignation.
Capello's unofficial biographer Mark Ryan told Sky News on Thursday that Capello was bound by his deal with the FA not to issue further comment.
Meanwhile, Harry Redknapp has said he was 'shocked and surprised' Capello's decision to quit his job and insisted that he'd 'not even thought' about the England manager role.
Earlier, Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "sorry" to see the manager go, even as Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp was strongly tipped to take over the role.
On Wednesday evening, the Football Italia website quoted Capello launching a blistering attack on the FA.
“They really insulted me and damaged my authority,” Capello reportedly said. “What really hit me and 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.
The FA released a statement on Thursday disputing the quotes, but Sky Italia correspondent Lorenzo Amuso, who works for the agency who supplied the comments to the website, stood by the report.
Ryan also told BBC Radio 5 Live that Capello was "pushed" to go, saying that the manager had not expected such a heated confrontation with the FA on Wednesday.
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Meanwhile Prime Minister David Cameron said he was "sorry" the Italian manager had resigned.
"You can't be captain with that question mark that needs to be answered," he told the BBC.
"England now needs a new coach and a new captain and I hope we can get on with that and make the best of the opportunity this summer.
"The day when the prime minister picks the England coach will be a very bad day for football but I am sure we will find someone really good and I am sure that we will play well when the time comes."
Harry Redknapp is being hotly tipped to take over from the Italian, with bookmakers slashing odds on the Spurs boss taking charge following his acquittal on a charge of tax fraud.
Following the FA's announcement, Bookmaker William Hill cut Redknapp's odds to 8/15 to take over the nation's team in time for the first Euro 2012 match against France, while Coral has stopped taking bets on Redknapp becoming the next England manager.
Capello had been enraged after the FA went over his head to strip Terry of the captaincy until after his July court case where he will deny racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand.
Capello told Italian TV that he "absolutely" disagreed with the action against Terry and that set him on a collision course with the FA.
Capello was agreeing to quit his £6 million-a-year post almost exactly as Redknapp walked free from court.
The FA is expected to hold a press conference at noon on Thursday.
An FA statement read: "The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager."
The statement went on: "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."
Following the news, #capello shot to the top of the Twitter trends, with fans, players and former players posting their reaction.
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Wayne Rooney
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Under Capello England enjoyed mixed fortunes, with 28 wins, six losses and eight draws.
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Huffington Post UK First Posted: 9/02/2012 08:35 Updated: 9/02/2012 13:31