‘I don’t accept lack of respect,’ says Capello

LONDON - England football coach Fabio Capello says that he simply can’t stand players who show no respect for the game or for the managerial and coaching staff, and therefore, admits that his brand of discipline makes him tick both as a manager and as a person.n an in-depth interview to The Sun, Capello says that his dad instilled the strict rules and principles that he swears by today.

Capello said: “I don’t accept lack of respect. That means be on time, respect the dressing-room code and table manners. They are necessary rules to create a group. Functioning in this manner at clubs that I managed has always given results. So, I apply the same in the England national team.”You must have respect for the people who work - even those with more modest jobs, the guy who brings the papers, the guy who washes the kit. I tell my players: ‘Would you like it if somebody spoke badly to your father or your brother? You must never forget that’.

“Would it seem normal to you that 25 people are kept waiting by one person alone?

“Should people use their mobiles in the dressing room? That’s the only time when you can be together as a group.”

He said: “From the start I was surprised by the quality of the players and surprised by these very same players, so strong with their clubs, but who played at Wembley with fear.

“The players had been traumatised and felt guilty for failing to qualify for Euro 2008. The fans were angry at the players. It was palpable. Little by little, thanks to the psychological work we did, step by step, we progressed.

“Our first great victory was psychological. At present we play at Wembley convinced it’s going to be difficult to beat us.”

Capello’s English has been the subject of much discussion but he is adamant he is now able to communicate perfectly with his players.

He said: “When I arrived I took English lessons. I focused on the key words of football. Today I make myself very well understood. It’s one of the most important things for a manager.”

Capello has won four Serie A titles and the European Cup with Milan, one Scudetto with Roma, and La Liga twice with Real Madrid in two different stints at the Bernabeu.

His success was based on the work ethic instilled in him by schoolteacher dad Guerrino in Pieris in Northern Italy.

Capello said: “The people of Pieris are realists attached to the value of hard work. When you don’t need to work, you’re lazy. One of the things my father taught me was ‘Never be a lamb, never follow the crowd, keep your own personality’.”

One of former midfielder Capello’s fondest memories is bagging the winner against England at Wembley in 1973.

He added: “We played on the eve of the wedding of Princess Anne. The English players had announced they would win against Italy as a wedding present.

“The papers were giving mention to the presence of 20,000 coffee waiters in the stadium, mocking Italian immigrants. So I dedicated my goal to fans and Italians who’d left home to work abroad.”

Capello also admitted the FA had contacted him in 2000 about becoming England coach.

He said: “I always wanted to manage a club in England. But the national team was my dream and the dream came true. I’d been contacted years ago but Eriksson was chosen. In 2008 the FA came back for me in a convincing manner. I said ‘yes’.” (ANI)