Capello likely to remain as FA plan revamp at youth level

Sir Dave Richards, the Premier League chairman who also heads the new 'Club England', will spend the next couple of weeks taking stock of the situation before making a recommendation to the FA board.

The chances of Capello being sacked look to be receding by the day, however. It is understood that Sir Trevor Brooking, the FA's director of football development and a key figure in the process, will recommend that Capello is kept on for the rest of his contract until 2012.

Brooking's view is that replacing him with another manager will not solve the underlying problem with English football, and a number of FA board and international committee members are of the same opinion.

At the FA's post mortem of the World Cup fiasco, Brooking will argue for a properly-funded long-term masterplan to bring through young players, starting by increasing the number of coaches at youth level.

Capello's 10 years' experience working at AC Milan's academy during the 1980s also adds weight to the argument for him to stay as he could have a major input into the future development of young players.

Some FA figures believe the 9m that would be saved by not firing Capello and employing a replacement on a similar salary level would be a good start in terms of funding youth development.

The remaining two years on Capello's contract would also give Stuart Pearce more experience both at under-21 level and as the Italian's assistant, and grooming him to be a ready-made replacement in 2012.

The FA's post mortem will also include a big debate on the future of youth football.

The Professional Game Youth Development Group, set up in 2008 following a review by Richard Lewis and headed by Howard Wilkinson, was disbanded after just one year by the Football League and Premier League.

Amazingly, since then there has been no decision-making body in control of youth development in English football.