WASHINGTON, Feb. 8, 2012 - What is going on in English soccer?
Just hours after Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp was cleared by a British jury for tax evasion today, England coach Fabio Capello resigned.
"The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager," said an FA statement.
Capello's sudden exit is stunning news, and leaves England's plans up in the air for the Euro 2012. The resignation also puts Redknapp as the early favorite to take over Capello's job. But will Redknapp leave Tottenham which is having a great season and is currently third in the Premier League? Redknapp has a two-year contract with Spurs.
Capello's breach with the FA began when Football Association chairman David Bernstein stripped defender John Terry of his England captaincy without consulting Capello. Terry is accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in a game last year and faces a trail in July.
The 65-year-old Capello, whose contract expires after Euro 2012, aired his frustrations over the handling of Terry on Italian television on Monday which upset the FA, who demanded a showdown with the Italian coach.
It appears, that in the meeting today with the FA, Capello refused to back down and the FA forced him to resign after four years on the job.
"We have accepted Fabio's resignation, agreeing this is the right decision," Bernstein said. "We would like to thank Fabio for his work with the England team and wish him every success in the future...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."
Capello took on the England job replacing Steve McClaren in 2008. He led the team to the World Cup in South Africa. Surprisingly, England, coached by the defense-oriented Capello, produced the highest goal average (3.40). But the England team looked awful at the finals and was eliminated with a 4-1 loss to Germany in the second round. England rebounded and Capello guided the team to qualify for Euro 2012.
For some England fans Capello's exit will be welcomed. Many viewed his tactics as negative. As Ruud Gullit, noted Capello "doesn't play for the beauty of the game but to win." Others saw him bringing in new talent and building a team mixed with veterans and youngsters.
Capello's record as the England coach was very impressive. He won 28 games, lost six and tied eight - a 67 percent success rate.
England's next game is an exhibition against the Netherlands on Feb. 29 and its Euro 2012 opener is against France on June 11.
Capello will likely go back to club coaching. At the club level he won 14 trophies with four clubs - AC Milan, AS Roma, Juventus and Real Madrid. He has a record of nine domestic titles and one Champions League triumph.
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