Capello out as England starts from scratch

LONDON — The soap opera of England's national team reached yet another a noisy climax Wednesday when coach Fabio Capello quit angrily just eight hours after potential successor Harry Redknapp was cleared in a London court of tax evasion charges.

Only four months before the European Championship, Capello's employers stripped John Terry of the England captaincy over racism charges without consulting the manager — and as a result now finds itself seeking a new team leader.

The career of Redknapp, a popular Londoner who is currently manages Premier League club Tottenham, had been on hold until the end of his trial.

But in a coincidence of timings, Redknapp was cleared by a jury on Wednesday and installed as favorite to assume one of the most high-profile jobs in international football following Capello's sudden exit.

The headline in The Times seemed to sum up the day: "Harry walks, Fabio runs."

Capello, a 65-year-old urbane Italian with an outstanding record in club football, had enjoyed some success in the England job but had never won the affections of a public hungry for the nation's first major title since 1966.

Now he has walked out on the $9 million-a-year job, dismayed at being publicly undermined by the English Football Association's decision to fire Terry against his wishes. The defender faces a criminal trial on racism charges.

Such a public spat with his employers made the Capello's position untenable. He quit during an hourlong meeting with FA officials that focused on Capello doing a television interview criticizing the FA.

"We have accepted Fabio's resignation, agreeing this is the right decision," FA Chairman David Bernstein said. "We would like to thank Fabio for his work with the England team and wish him every success in the future."

Bernstein does not have to rush into replacing Capello. And it seems certain that the next manager will be English, having won nothing under the expensive reigns of Capello and Sweden's Sven-Goran Eriksson.

At least, an English coach would be accustomed to the drama surrounding the national team.

Terry was restored as England captain 11 months ago despite Capello having stripped the Chelsea talisman of that honor just before the 2010 World Cup following allegations of having an affair with the ex-girlfriend of teammate Wayne Bridge, who subsequently quit the national team.