Capello blames fatigue for England exit

England head coach Fabio Capello has blamed tiredness for his side’s devastating World Cup exit at the hands of Germany on Sunday.

Capello was speaking at a press conference in Rustenburg on Monday lunchtime, less than 24 hours after his side’s 4-1 defeat to the Germans in Bloemfontein.

When asked for the reasons behind the lacklustre performances of players such as Wayne Rooney during the tournament, the Italian admitted that fatigue was the main issue.

He said, “Not just Rooney, all the players. I feel the players were tired at this World Cup. The players were not like the players that we know.

“They didn’t play as quick or as fast as I know [they can]. We played seven games – against Mexico, Japan, a friendly game here and then USA, Algeria, Slovenia and Germany in the tournament – and we never played like we could.

“The team is tired every time it plays a tournament in June. The players here were happy. They tried to do everything the best they could. There should be a break in the season but it’s not my job to decide about the calendar.”

Capello also admitted that, although he is interested in staying on as manager, no decision has been made on his future  – and that it would be two weeks before a final decision is made by the Football Association.

When pressed on the reasons behind the two-week delay, Team England’s Managing Director Adrian Bevington stepped in.

“To be very clear about this,” said Bevington, “Fabio Capello has a contract until 2012. We’re all very disappointed with the performance during this tournament and it makes perfect sense to go back to London, take stock, reflect on the tournament and speak to Fabio from there.

“There’s nothing sinister in it. It’s just a common sense approach. We don’t want any snap reactions.”

Capello added, “I have a contract with England and I’d like to stay. I have refused opportunities to manage important clubs because I like it here.”