The last thing we need
The new manager of the English national football team, Fabio Capello, is currently being investigated for alleged tax fraud in his native Italy.
Am I alone in thinking this is the last thing that England football fans near to be hearing right now?
We’ve had so many years of underperforming teams and ineffective coaches that surely we must be due a break soon?
The investigation
The tax fraud investigation relates to the time period when Capello was coach of AS Roma and Juventus.
Apparently, prosecutors and financial investigators are investigating a series of offshore companies that were set up by Capello and his two sons, Pierfilippo and Edoardo.
Further details are currently hard to come by, however, the report said that the investigation had been undertaken over several months, in ‘great secrecy’ by Turin public prosecutor Raffaele Guariniello.
A spokesman for the Football Association (FA) said -
‘It is our understanding that the Italian tax authorities are currently following a procedure of looking into the finances of a number of high-profile individuals.
We have spoken to Fabio and his advisors about Wednesday’s newspaper reports in Italy and they have explained the facts.
They have also given us their assurances that Fabio Capello’s tax payments are in order. The FA have no further comment to make on this subject.’
The effects on the England team
With England due to play a friendly against Switzerland on the 6th of February, I can only hope that this probe doesn’t have too negative an effect on Capello’s first match in charge.
Considering that England invented football, we have rather a lot to prove to the world, having failed to even qualify for the European Championship finals.
Perhaps we should have followed Newcastle’s astute move of recalling Kevin Keegan, the man with so much passion and desire for the job that he resigned as England manager when his team’s performances didn’t meet expectations?
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