How Mourinho Withdrawal Jolted Fa Into Swift and Decisive Action

In three weeks the Football Association has moved to the verge of replacing Steve McClaren with Fabio Capello. Notwithstanding the complications that last night took negotiations into a third day, the speed with which the deal has been prepared is striking given that meaningful talks between Soho Square and the Italian did not begin until last Sunday.

Initial contact between the FA and Capello's camp was made via an English intermediary within hours of McClaren being fired on November 22 but negotiations opened in earnest only when Jose Mourinho, the former Chelsea manager, made it clear he was no longer interested in the job. The coincidence of the timing will fuel suspicions that Mourinho was the FA's first choice, though Soho Square sources say he was never offered the job and they clearly remained uncertain of his motives. The FA's caution was borne out when talks between Mourinho's agent, Jorge Mendes, and the FA director of football, Sir Trevor Brooking, ended with the Portuguese ruling himself out.

His withdrawal appears to have been the catalyst for the pursuit of Capello. The FA chief executive, Brian Barwick, and his key adviser, Simon Johnson, the FA's head of legal affairs, were first made aware of Capello's interest in the job on November 22 when Chris Farnell, a leading sports lawyer based in Manchester, contacted them to signal the Italian's availability.

The day after McClaren was sacked Farnell, acting independently, contacted both men to inquire whether Capello would be of interest. On receiving confirmation that he was Farnell contacted Soho Square and put them in touch with Capello's son, Pierfilippo, also a lawyer. Once the FA was satisfied that the Italian's interest was genuine, it forwarded its brief for the job, which included the requirement that an English assistant be assimilated into the new manager's team. The document also outlined concerns over the development of English players and asked how the new man planned to help deliver sustained success to the national game.

Capello's responses, in email exchanges over the course of the next fortnight, were impressive. These informal exchanges did not harden into concrete discussions, however, until last weekend.

Progress was swift. On Monday Johnson opened negotiations over the details of Capello's contract and the make-up of his backroom staff with the super-agent Giovanni Branchini and Capello Jr. The FA agreed to hire the Italian's three key coaching staff Franco Tancredi (goalkeeping), assistant Italo Galbiati and fitness trainer Massimo Neri, though the role of Baldini remains a sticking point. Employed as a director of football with Capello at Roma and Real Madrid, Baldini's role in an international set-up was unclear and there is concern in some quarters that it may impact on that of Brooking.

Baldini's position is further complicated by his interest in the technical director's role at West Ham. The general terms of the contract were settled rapidly too, with the FA happy to meet Capello's demands for a net salary of £4m a year running initially to the 2010 World Cup. With the broad terms agreed within 72 hours all that remained was for Barwick and Capello to meet, and the Italian flew from Milan to London on Wednesday morning.

Three hours of talks confirmed the deal could be done, with Johnson and Capello Jr working with Maurice Watkins, a lawyer and former Manchester United director, who was drafted in to write the final contract. At 12.30pm yesterday the FA board were consulted by conference call but, with disquiet expressed at Capello's all-Italian team and Baldini's exact role, there was no agreement. At a further call at 5pm the executive was able to satisfy the board the appointment should be approved and shortly after 6pm it was.

In hindsight Barwick may feel Mourinho's withdrawal made his task easier, removing the candidate hardest to ignore. In securing a world-class manager so soon after the dark dawn of November 22, however, he will doubtless consider his job well done.

The headhunter's view

The managing director of a commercial recruitment agency has accused the Football Association of being "weak" and "knee-jerk" in the way it went for Fabio Capello. Rupert Murray, from Eagle Headhunters, says it was wrong for the FA to canvass the opinions of leading figures in the game, such as Arsène Wenger, and make a decision so soon after the sacking of Steve McClaren. "What do people at the FA actually do, if they need to go outside for expert advice? They should already have experts in place. That is weak management," Murray said. "If an investment bank wanted to recruit they would not go to another bank and ask them who they thought was best for the job. This decision has also been made very quickly. There was pressure to appoint before Christmas and that is what the FA has done. It appears very knee-jerk."Sachin Nakrani