When Fabio Capello said he wanted to resign as England manager, David Bernstein, the chairman of the Football Association, said it was "best for the F.A." so the Italian's offer was one he could not refuse.

Thanks for the 2010 World Cup debacle and never bothering to speak acceptable English, don Fabio — arrivederci.

Capello was angry the F.A. had stripped John Terry of the captaincy without consulting him, but the division between the former manager and his ex-employers goes much deeper than that. They had long fallen out of love and Bernstein made no effort to keep Capello even though Euro 2012 was only four months away.