Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on Thursday that he felt England were “cheating” by employing non-English coaches like Fabio Capello to manage the national team. Capello is currently in Montenegro preparing his side for their Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday.
Carragher was tempted out of international retirement by the Italian last year and was a member of the England squad at the World Cup but he said having to rely on foreign expertise was embarrassing.
“The next manager of England should be English,” Carragher told British radio station talkSPORT.
“I’ve got nothing against Capello, I went to the World Cup and got to know him, but that’s not what international football is.
“It’s like saying if our keeper’s not good enough, we’ll go and get (Gianluigi) Buffon from Italy.
“It’s a form of cheating in international football and it’s a bit embarrassing.
“It’s different for developing countries in Africa and elsewhere, who are trying to build the game up but, for England, such a big football nation, I don’t think we should have a foreign manager.
“Just because it didn’t work out with Steve McClaren, it didn’t mean we had to go for a foreign manager. We should have gone for the next best Englishman.”
Carragher, 33, said he felt the lack of opportunities for English managers in the Premier League also played a part.
“If every club had an English manager, someone would have to win the league!” he said. “Someone would have to win the FA Cup! And then they’d accumulate these trophies.
“Capello had an aura and presence that maybe McClaren didn’t have.
“And it was the same with the likes of (Rafael) Benitez and (Gerard) Houllier at Liverpool, and (Jose) Mourinho at Chelsea.
“With their CVs, they’ve all got something about them and have won big trophies. So does that mean English managers need to go abroad?”
England ‘cheat’ with foreign coaches
