If the Football Association had any illusions that the appointment of Fabio Capello would steady the ship of tarnished reputations were brutally shattered by the announcement that the Italian is under investigation by Turin magistrates for tax offences, centring on offshore companies created by his sons.

As part of the fallout of the Calciogate scandal that engulfed Juventus and Milan amongst others, the involvement of high profile individuals is of little surprise. Even less so would be the ‘news’ that the Football Association already knew of the investigation, no doubt disclosed prior to his appointment. If it was not then there are serious questions to be answered regarding the depth of any enquiries made by Brian Barwick and his team of interviewers and also whether Capello himself should have disclosed the investigation to his potential employers.

The FA spokesman this evening was put in an invidious position; the organisation had to back its most high profile employee or otherwise become a laughing stock once more. That dubious honour may yet be bestowed upon them should the easy denials of any wrongdoing be proven to be wrong. It will however not ease the pressure on Barwick whose reputation amongst the media at least, continues to erode any work that he tries to do.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website