The Football Association has criticized England soccer manager Fabio Capello for his poor grasp on the English language.
Capello speaks very broken English, despite having managed the England national team since 2008. He uses an interpreter to speak to players and struggles with media interviews.
The Italian already battles unpopularity following England's humiliating defeat at the 2010 World Cup. This month he faced criticism after revealing on live TV his plans to axe David Beckham from the squad—before telling the sporting star himself.
The Independent (London) reported that retired footballer and former England captain Gary Lineker is among the critics. He said Capello's promise to improve his English simply "hasn't happened."
"Either he is not trying very hard or his English teacher is useless," Lineker told the newspaper.
Capello speaks an impressive five languages, but the lack of nuance in his English is an increasing problem. Even fellow Italian Aldo Zilli, the celebrity chef, chimed in to call Capello's English "a disaster," saying he should get a private tutor before it's too late, adding that "some people would say it was already too late for England."
The manager is not without his defenders, however. Biographer Gabriele Marcotti told The Independent Capello's communication on the pitch was fine, and that his 64 years worked against him.
Marcotti also hit back at Gary Lineker's boasts that he had mastered Spanish, calling his use of the language "broken and overly accented," and adding that "I don't think he's really in a position to comment."
Some FA members have said they intend to replace Capello with an English manager, although no official announcement has been made.
23 August 2010
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