Fabio Capello has quit as England manager.
Capello resigned following a meeting with FA chairman David Bernstein and general secretary Alex Horne at Wembley Stadium.
An FA statement read: ‘The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager.’
‘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 the resignation was the right course of action.
‘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.’
Bernstein and the Club England management team will hold a media conference at Wembley at 12 noon on Thursday.
The shock resignation brings an end to Capello’s four years in charge of England – he had been due to step down after the European Championship and leaves the FA needing to appoint a replacement as soon as possible.
The next international is later this month, a friendly against Holland on February 29 at Wembley.
The timing of the meeting coincided almost exactly with Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, the outstanding candidate to replace Capello, being cleared of tax evasion charges.
Capello told Italian TV that he ‘absolutely’ disagreed with the action against Terry and that set him on a collision course with the FA.
by Terence Johns
