Fabio Capello has been confirmed as the new England manager after he reached agreement with the Football Association on a four-and-a-half year deal – reportedly worth £6m a year.
Chief executive Brian Barwick said: “When we set out to recruit the new manager, we said we were committed to appointing a world-class candidate. In Fabio Capello we have that man.
“Fabio is a winner. His record over the last two decades speaks for itself.
“At every club he has managed, Fabio has won the league title and Sir Trevor Brooking and I were left in no doubt of his passion and commitment to bring that success to the England team.”
The Italian met Barwick and Brooking, the FA’s director of football on Wednesday before his appointment was “ratified unanimously” by the FA board on Thursday.
“Fabio Capello is widely recognised as one of the world’s finest coaches,” said Brooking.
“He has achieved huge success wherever he has worked and has the respect of everyone in football.”
Capello, 61, will be unveiled at a news conference on Monday before assuming his new role on 7 January. His first match in charge of England will be the friendly international against Euro 2008 co-hosts Switzerland at Wembley Stadium on February 6.
His backroom staff is all-Italian but he has been asked to incorporate an English presence into the set-up.
The Italian’s trusted assistant Franco Baldini is included in the backroom staff, along with fellow assistant Italo Galbiati, goalkeeping coach Franco Tancredi, and fitness coach Massimo Neri.
Tancredi was looking forward to the task.
“I am very happy but I realise it will not be an easy job seeing as there are four foreign keepers at the first four teams in the Premier League and often the reserve keepers are too,” the 52 year-old former Italy keeper told Italian news service ANSA.
“Now we will have a “full immersion” into English but the language of football is universal.”
