Capello in anxious wait as FA decide to take stock (VIDEO)

AS the Three Lions were driven out of their Royal Bafokeng base last night, Fabio Capello was insisting he wants to stay in his £6m-a-year job as England manager.

His team's ignominious departure came less than three weeks after they arrived in South Africa with such high hopes of World Cup glory.

Sunday's record 4-1 drubbing by Germany ended any hope of that and triggered intense discussion about Capello's fate, with the Italian demanding a meeting with Club England chairman Sir David Richards to find out whether he still retained the confidence of the FA.

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Capello saw Richards and Club England managing director Adrian Bevington yesterday morning, when it was agreed further talks will take place in a fortnight to decide whether Capello should continue, or if England will be left searching for their fourth manager in just over four years.

The odds on Capello remaining in his job have shortened marginally, with Harry Redknapp emerging as the favourite to replace him.

However, as he prepared to make the flight home and a reception which will be muted to say the least, Capello was remaining defiant.

"I would prefer to stay but I respect the FA's decision," said Capello of the delay. "It is an intelligent decision."

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Life would be so much less complicated had the FA not removed a break clause in Capello's contract on the day England set off for South Africa, which confirmed the former AC Milan chief would remain in his job until after Euro 2012.

The speed of England's hopes unravelling could scarcely have been imagined.

Instead of marching through what looked like an easy group, England won just once – their final game against Slovenia – and scored only twice.

Landon Donovan's stoppage-time strike for the United States against Algeria dumped England into a far tougher quarter of the draw.

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Instead of tackling Ghana, they were forced to meet Germany and although they had high hopes before kick-off, Joachim Low's outfit were far too slick and efficient and even Frank Lampard's ridiculously disallowed 'goal' could not mask the fact that they were outplayed.

"We worked very well for two years but the result is always the most important thing and the result of the last game was not good," said Capello.

If Capello were not clutching a watertight contract worth 12m over the term of its two years, the FA could thank the 64-year-old for his work in rebuilding a shattered team following the failure to reach Euro 2008 and appoint an Englishman – Redknapp or Roy Hodgson – as his successor.

Instead, in addition to the complaints about Capello's management voiced so loudly by John Terry and the tournament disappointment, they must also juggle a few figures, adding the compensation Capello would receive to the salary being offered to a new man, and decide whether England would actually be any better off.

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"I will accept whatever the FA decides," said Capello. "You know I received a lot of offers to be a manager at other clubs. I said that to (former chairman) Lord Triesman. But I decided to stay here because I like being England manager. I spoke with Sir David about the two years that I have worked with the FA. They appreciate my work and what all my staff have done."

Triesman acted in order to prevent England's World Cup campaign being dominated by questions on Capello's future, not believing for one moment completely different questions would end up being posed.

That Triesman subsequently resigned due to an alleged personal scandal merely highlights the complicated position the FA find themselves in.

Capello has not made life any easier with his declarations of intent if the FA are minded to bring in someone new ahead of England's next game, a friendly with Hungary at Wembley on August 11, which serves as a warm-up for the opening Euro 2012 qualifier with Bulgaria at Wembley on September 3.

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"I understand there is an incredible disappointment that we have gone out of the competition and the frustration that everybody feels," said Bevington.

"But that does not mean we should be knee-jerking into decisions within 24 hours of the game concluding.

"Fabio had a fantastic record during the qualifying campaign and is a manager with one of the most successful records in world football. He is under contract until 2012 so we have to look back on everything in its full context."

Reflecting on their exit, Capello blamed the tiredness of the England players and said he wanted to follow Germany by having a winter break.

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Capello said: "All the English players were really tired. I spoke with the coaches and they all told me the physical and mental situation of the players was not like the players we know.

"The players that played were at their best during qualification and in the autumn period. All the players were not as good as I know they are because they played not as fast and quick like in the other games.

When asked if he would favour a winter break, Capello said: "Yes. I think Germany always arrive at the second part of the season and do very well in the Champions League.

"It is really important to recover before this spell but it is not my job to decide about the calendar."