JOE COLE has revealed that he was left fuming when former England manager Fabio Capello cheered on Italy at the 2010 World Cup.
The former midfielder was “bothered as an Englishman” as his coach got behind another team while the Three Lions struggled to impress.
England were knocked out of the tournament at the round of 16 after a heavy 4-1 defeat by Germany.
But Cole, who was part of the 23-man squad, was annoyed that Capello and his backroom staff did not put their national allegiance aside during the tournament.
He said: “What done me at the World Cup was when they were all watching Italy, like hollering and hooting when they scored.
“I just think that the foresight of that wasn’t great. It bothered me as an Englishman.”
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Capello, however, would not have had much to cheer about as the Italian side finished bottom of their group behind Paraguay, Slovakia and New Zealand.
The Azzuri did not manage to win a game throughout the entire tournament.
It was a shock for the side, who had gone into the tournament in South Africa as favourites and holders of the trophy.
It is not the first time the former Chelsea and West Ham star has criticised his former manager.
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Recently in a Telegraph column, Cole argued that Capello “didn’t have a tactical plan”, as he believed that England could have achieved a lot more with the players at the disposal.
He wrote: “Even when we got knocked out, there was no inquest. Capello wanted to keep his job.
“There needed to be a revolution but none arrived. I spoke out after the tournament in frustration at getting just two appearances – both as a second half substitute – and mostly because we should have been doing better.
“We had good players. I have played with some of the best.
“Didier Drogba, Michael Ballack, Deco – and I can tell you that Lampard, Gerrard and Rooney were just as good.
“With a plan to keep the ball, we would have done so much better.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
