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Capello takes blame as Rooney ban cut

Comment: 0 December 9th, 2011 by: admin

FABIO Capello stayed by Wayne Rooney’s side during the latter’s latest ordeal and it worked.

The result was not only a delight to the star striker but to the England squad as well.

Capello got a one-game reprieve for Rooney on Thursday by telling the UEFA appeals committee hearing that his player was paying for the mistake he has done.

As a result, the three-man commission agreed to cut Rooney’s Euro 2012 ban from three matches to two following his infamous red card in Montenegro last October.

The reduction meant the Manchester United forward will play in the Three Lions’ final group fixture against co-host Ukraine in Donetsk on June 19. However, he remains banned for England’s tussles against France and Sweden.

Rooney wore a United blazer and tie and did not speak to reporters upon leaving the UEFA headquarters in Switzerland with Capello. The hearing, held 10 hours after the Red Devils were booted out from the group stage of the Champions League by FC Basel, lasted 90 minutes.

In a surprising revelation, the Italian coach told the panel that he should have replaced Rooney after 45 minutes of the match as he realised that the latter was thinking about the news that day that his father and uncle were arrested over an alleged betting scam. Capello also stated on the eve of the game that he had no concerns over Rooney’s state of mind despite the incident.

But sources at UEFA said Capello admitted to the appeals body that he made a mistake – that Rooney was not in his right frame of mind and that he should have substituted him at the end of the first half.

Rooney was banished from the pitch in the 74^th minute of their last qualifier after kicking Montenegro’s Miodrag Dzudovic.

Despite what happened, Dzudovic was happy that Rooney’s ban was reduced.

‘Well, I think Ukraine won’t be angry with me. It’s football justice. The punishment was too hard, too hard for that foul. I’m glad to help somebody to play at such a great tournament as Euro 2012. Now England will be more interesting to watch,’ said the Montenegrin centre-back.

The Football Association, meanwhile, said the hearing was fair and that Rooney and Capello were both very pleased.

UEFA, the governing body of football in Europe, suspended the ban on Rooney for the third game but it covers only Euro 2012 and qualifiers for the 2016 tournament and not Manchester United or England World Cup games.

The committee also said Rooney will be made to ‘support a UEFA project’ for one day as part of the sentence.

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