- Fabio Capello’s goal in 1973 secured Italy’s first ever away win over England
- Capello says he has happy memories of his time as manager of the Three Lions
- Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport’s podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off!’
Any discussion of English and Italian football is never complete until Fabio Capello has been brought into the conversation.
The legendary Italian was one of Europe’s most successful managers when he became England’s second overseas boss in 2007, after Steve McClaren was sacked following his failure to guide the team to Euro 2008.
Despite strong performances in qualifying, Capello’s side struggled at the 2010 World Cup and even though they reached Euro 2012, Capello resigned before the tournament because of a dispute with the FA over John Terry’s removal as captain.
Yet Capello’s history with England stretches back much further. His goal in a friendly at Wembley on November 14, 1973 sealed his country’s first away win over England – a strike Capello dedicated to the Italian supporters in the crowd, who he says were crudely dismissed as ‘20,000 waiters’ by media outlets at the time.
‘We had already beaten England in Turin that summer and I’d scored in that game too, but at Wembley it was different,’ recalls Capello.
Fabio Capello recalls scoring for Italy against England in 1973 and dedicating the goal to the Italians in the crowd
‘There were a lot of Italians in the crowd who were described as 20,000 waiters.
‘It was very satisfying to score that goal and dedicate it to those 20,000 waiters – very nice indeed! I know how difficult it can be to live and work abroad so to do that for those Italians in England was great.
‘It was a very intense game at the old Wembley, which for me represented the history of football. We had a very good team but I must admit that our best player that day was our goalkeeper, Dino Zoff. He made two crucial saves. But my goal broke a curse for us because we’d never been able to win in England before.’
Earlier that day, Princess Anne had married Captain Mark Phillips in a ceremony at Westminster Abbey.
‘I remember one of the Queen’s daughters had got married,’ Capello adds. ‘There was a suggestion that if England won, it would have been dedicated to her.’
Despite the way his reign ended, Capello, 77, has happy memories of his time in charge of England. He won 28 of his 42 games at the helm, though given his track record at club level and £6million annual salary, the FA expected more of an impact at a major tournament. And in February 2012, Capello quit on the spot when he was informed the FA had stripped Terry of the England captaincy. Terry had been accused of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during a match between Chelsea and QPR. He was found not guilty in July 2012.
‘To work at Wembley and to be the coach of England was wonderful, and it was disappointing to leave the national team because of differences of opinion over John Terry,’ admits the Italian.
‘We had qualified for Euro 2012 but I couldn’t accept that the captaincy was decided by the board, given it was in my contract that I would decide the captain, as the coach. I couldn’t accept that my level of leadership was reduced. I was happy with everything I did and what I was allowed to do working for the FA. It was a fantastic time.’
Despite the way his reign ended, Capello has happy memories of his time in charge of England
This interview takes place hours before the emergence of a betting scandal that has left Italy in crisis, with Newcastle midfielder Sandro Tonali and Aston Villa winger Nicolo Zaniolo released from the squad ahead of Tuesday’s clash at Wembley, after they were questioned in relation to alleged illegal gambling activity.
Yet even before the shock news, Capello was anticipating a difficult night for his countrymen. England won in Naples in March and Capello fears Italy will struggle to stop them repeating that result.
‘England were my favourites to win the World Cup last year, given the level of players they have, but I was disappointed by their performances,’ he says.
‘Gareth Southgate has some top talent at the moment. As an Italian, I hope the new coach Luciano Spalletti can get them in the right frame of mind. I respect him a lot. It should be an honour to wear the Italy shirt.’
Capello believes that Italy could face a difficult night when they take on England on Tuesday