'Sorry,' he declared. 'Where is one place that you know where you can meet Rio Ferdinand? I think it was impossible.' No it was not, Fabio. It was easy. Just as it was easy to handle the whole sorry saga with more class.

There was no thought for how things would play out, no respect for Ferdinand. Capello told the media one thing while his staff told Ferdinand the opposite, and so a PR disaster that sits in the same file as the Capello Index and that bungled approach to the World Cup squad announcement was created.

It was all so unnecessary and such an unwelcome distraction before Saturday afternoon's important European Championship clash against Wales. He should not have navigated himself into a position where he was having to admit to making 'a mistake' and expressing 'regret' for the way the reinstatement of Terry had been handled.

Similarly, he should not have had to face questions concerning his position. Did he feel he had made progress and remained the right man for the job?

'If my mind is not right to lead this team I go home,' he said bullishly before insisting, unconvincingly, that he still enjoyed the job.

In creating such a storm over the captaincy, he has succeeded only in putting himsel f under mor e pressure. There is much more animosity towards the Italian - an intolerance, given the way he has treated the popular Ferdinand, that could grow if a dismal 0-0 draw at home to Montenegro is followed by another poor performance that further undermines England's chances of winning their qualifying group.

He did not help himself in declining the invitation to apologise to Ferdinand and at one stage blaming the United defender for failing to show for the 'meeting'. 'Ask him!' he barked in reference to Ferdinand at one point.

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