FA board give thumbs up to Capello

LONDON, England -- Fabio Capello will be appointed as the new England coach, subject to final contract negotiations between the 61-year-old Italian and the Football Association (FA).

Capello had his appointment approved late on Thursday by the FA board who were acting on the recommendation of chief executive Brian Barwick.

It is reported that the final negotiations revolve around Capello's request to install a number of key backroom staff in the England national set up.

Capello, who spent the day at his Swiss home, held "extremely positive" talks with Barwick and other leading FA officials in London on Wednesday.

He will succeed Steve McClaren who was sacked after England failed to qualify for the Euro 2008 finals.

FA director of communications Adrian Bevington said: "Discussions have continued throughout the day between the FA and Fabio Capello's advisors.

"The FA board has also today approved Capello's appointment as England manager subject to the successful conclusion of these contract negotiations.

"These will continue tomorrow (Friday). I want to stress that there are no problems and that we are going through the necessary process to reach a successful conclusion."

Capello, who has won nine league titles with four different top clubs in Italy and Spain, as well as leading AC Milan to the Champions League in 1994, emerged as the favorite after former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho ruled himself out on Monday.

Capello has been out of work since leading Real Madrid to the Spanish title last season in his second spell at the Bernabeu. He had previously coached AC Milan, Juventus and Roma.

He has been filling his time doing commentary work with Italian televison but, after McClaren was unceremoniously dumped by the FA, expressed an early interest in the England job.

Capello is known for his tough attitude and has had well-publicized rows with top players such as Francesco Totti and Alessandero del Piero, while he also dropped David Beckham when the England midfielder agreed a deal with LA Galaxy.

Capello later claimed that he was forced to do so by the Real board and brought back Beckham due to an injury crisis -- and the former Manchester United star's resurgence in form helped win the Spanish title.

When Capello takes over, one of his first decisions as England coach will be to decide whether or not to award Beckham his 100th England cap in February's friendly against Switzerland, which will be his first match in charge.

Other than Mourinho, leading candidates were reported to be Marcello Lippi, who led Italy to the 2006 World Cup and won five Serie A titles with Juventus; Martin O'Neill, Aston Villa's former Northern Ireland international; and Juergen Klinsmann, who guided Germany to the semifinal of World Cup 2006.

But Ruud Gullit and Clarence Seedorf believe that their former boss Capello is the right man to turn around England's ailing national side.

Gullit played for the 61-year-old when AC Milan dominated Italian football in the early 1990s, winning five Serie A titles in six years and and also claiming the European Cup with a 4-0 thrashing of Barcelona in the 1994 final.

Los Angeles Galaxy manager Gullit said that Capello would employ a no-nonsense approach -- which won his the Spanish league title with Real Madrid last season but also saw him sacked due to criticism of the team's style.

"He doesn't play for the beauty of the game, but to win," the Dutchman said.

"You don't see him laughing much - he's moody. But he knows what he wants. You have to go his way or you will get in trouble. He screams at you.

"You need to be well drilled to play for him -- very disciplined -- and you certainly don't fool around with him, that's for sure.

"Italians are all about looking good, defending your reputation. When you've got that you become very hard to beat. If you become that clinical, you don't even have to play well to win - that's how come they have won so many championships."

Gullit's compatriot, AC Milan midfielder Seedorf, played under Capello at Real when the Madrid side won the Spanish league title in 1997.

He added: "He's a tough guy, very straight. He's very dedicated."

Despite these ringing endorsements, Capello takes charge with the English national team at their lowest ebb, crashing to a 3-2 home defeat to Croatia in November when a draw would have seen them qualify for next year's European Championships.

The national team's lack of success is in direct contrast to the fortunes of clubs in the English Premier League, who are heavily reliant on overseas talent in their quest for trophies.

Capello's first 'competitive' matches will come next autumn when England begin their bid to qualify for the 2010 World Cup, ironically in the same group as Croatia. E-mail to a friend

All About Ruud Gullit • Fabio Capello • Clarence Seedorf