Fabio Fired

Fabio Capello was fired as coach of Real Madrid yesterday, less than two weeks after leading the club to their first league title in four years. Madrid's sports director Pedrag Mijatovic said the decision, which was widely expected, was made at a board meeting last Thursday.

The decision, even though a difficult one, was widely expected. It was made at a board meeting, when Capello was on a holiday abroad. It is the second time he has been fired by Madrid immediately after winning the league title - he suffered the same fate in 1997. Capello, who had two years remaining on his contract, was fired after a report containing all the controversies that took place within the club, was published. The report lead to a unanimous decision of firing Capello.

Capello’s greatest mistake had been underestimating Beckham’s potential, especially in the UEFA Cup this year. Capello made an unpopular decision to bench David Beckham after the England midfielder signed a contract with the Los Angeles Galaxy. Capello also admitted this mistake later after winning the Spanish League title saying, “A major fault of mine was not to recognise Beckham's potential.”

The club was considering several candidates to replace the Italian coach but would not give any names. The only hint is that they are looking for someone young. Who knows maybe Zinedine Zidane might make a surprise comeback as Real coach.