Media Monster

David Beckham Controversy Makes Fabio Capello Even MORE Of A Punching Bag

Did you think football fans of England were unhappy with national team manager Fabio Capello’s performance before? Well, you’d be right. But now, it’s getting even worse. The reason: Capello thinks David Beckham’s national team tenure is done. David Beckham begs to differ. Guess whose side fans are on?

Certainly, the media didn’t take too kindly. Even this even-keeled take on the situation from the Telegraph’s Jason Burt said the manner in which the decision was made – Capello said nothing to Beckham before publicly saying Beckham was done in competitive play – “reflects extremely poorly on Capello.” And this headline at the Daily Mail pretty much says it all.

And that’s just part of it. From the AP’s writeup, via ESPN:

That seems to be what really got the local media upset, with The Daily Mirror calling Capello “Dumb And Dumber” and The Telegraph describing it as “Another Fine Mess.”

“Blundering England manager Fabio Capello’s battered reputation sank even further,” the Daily Express wrote.

“Fabio has learned nothing from World Cup fiasco,” The Daily Mirror said.

But the best line came from the Daily Star: “Fabio Capello cocked it up again last night.” Yes, we realize it’s just a British saying meaning “screwed up,” but still…cocked!

Anyway, such criticism brings into focus a bigger question: how did Capello not get fired after the World Cup? This isn’t to say he absolutely should have been, but that with the way most of Britain seemed to react to the national team’s performance, you’d sure think he would have been.

And now that there seems to be almost unanimous disapproval of his handling of Beckham, maybe Capello hastened his own departure. After all, the tabloid announcements of the news weren’t even that good this time. (The picture at left, from the Mirror, was the best we could find.) If the British tabloids can’t even make something fun, what good is it anymore?