Capello will stay - and FA blame players for failure

Fabio Capello is set to stay on as England manager - with the FA ready to blame the players for the World Cup debacle.

Football Association chiefs led by Club England chairman Sir Dave Richards are poised to confirm the Italian in his £6million-a-year job despite England’s South Africa flop and growing resentment over the way the governing body was “duped” into tying their own financial hands.

Some senior figures within the Wembley organisation now feel Richards was taken for a ride by Capello last month over his flirtation with Inter Milan.

Capello’s admission before flying back to London that he realised his players were not right for the World Cup when they arrived at the squad’s Austrian training base has caused serious annoyance.

One highly-placed insider said: “Capello has admitted he knew the players were not going to do as well as he hoped.

“It looks like he knew it and encouraged Inter Milan to put us on the spot - and we fell for it. He was being cute and look where we are now.”

That situation and the £12million pay-off Capello would be due under the terms of the revised contract has played a key part in Richards’ determination to withstand the pressure to get rid of the Italian

While Capello insisted he wanted to stay on, it is understood he would be willing to cut a deal if his position was deemed untenable and even told the Club England head on Monday that he was willing to revert to the terms of his original deal if he was sacked.

But although the Italian’s future is officially under review for two weeks, Mirror Sport can reveal that his bosses have already had a ring-round and he is to be officially backed when they meet next week.

Capello has a huge ally in Richards, the influential politician who has sounded out his inner circle since the humbling by Germany on Sunday and who orchestrated the vote in favour of the Italian carrying on and hopefully seeing out the rest of his contract, ending with the Euro 2012 glory bid.

The quick inquest, performed both by phone and in face-to-face chats, has come down heavily on the line that England’s stars failed to perform in South Africa - and it was not down to the manager.

And Richards is keen to make an early announcement to prevent the campaign for a change growing to the point where it becomes unstoppable, with one highly-placed source insisting: “There is just not an issue here. Fabio will be staying.”

David Beckham has distanced himself from bieng a potential successor to Fabio Capello.

Former England captain Beckham, 35, pledged his support to Capello and is desperate to carry on playing for as long as possible, still hoping to be part of the Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.