Capello confirmed as England manager

Fabio Capello will take charge of the England national team on a four-and-a-half year contract, the Football Association confirmed on Friday. The former AC Milan and Real Madrid CF coach replaces Steve McClaren, who was dismissed from the post last month following England's failure to qualify for next summer's UEFA EURO 2008™ finals.

Challenge
The 61-year-old Italian becomes England's second foreign manager, after the Swede Sven-Göran Eriksson, and the 15th man to hold the reins of the national side, temporary appointments included. Capello had been without a job since leaving Real Madrid last summer, the Spanish club sacking him despite their league championship triumph. The challenge now for the former Italian international is to revive an England team who finished third behind Croatia and Russia in their UEFA EURO 2008™ qualifying group. His first test will come when England play Switzerland at Wembley on 6 February although he will have to wait for the start of 2010 FIFA World Cup qualifying next September for a taste of competitive action. He will have the possibility of opting out of his contract after the South Africa 2010 campaign.

Successful career
Capello has landed seven national titles during a highly successful coaching career that began at Milan, whom he guided to four Serie A crowns and the UEFA Champions League. He also won the Italian league with AS Roma in 2001, while steering Madrid to Primera División triumphs during each of his season-long stays in the Spanish capital in 1996/97 and 2006/07. Prior to his return to the Santiago Bernabéu last term, Capello had been at the helm of Juventus where the two championship successes he achieved were stripped in the aftermath of the 2006 match-fixing scandal.