Capello favorite for England post

LONDON, England -- Fabio Capello has been installed as the new favorite to succeed Steve McClaren as England manager.

The 61-year-old Italian is widely reported to be the preferred candidate of the English Football Association (FA) after front-runner Jose Mourinho ruled himself out of the running on Monday.

Capello has been out of work since his departure from Real Madrid despite leading them to the Spanish Primera Liga title last season.

His son Pierfilippo Capello, who also acts as his agent, told Sky Sports News that there had been no formal contact with the FA, but that his father was "very keen" on the vacant position,

"The job is very special," he was quoted. "When an organization like that (The FA) comes calling you have to listen."

Sky Sports News also reported that Capello had pulled out of a commitment with Italian televison where he has been working as an analyst since leaving Real in June.

The next meeting of the FA board is scheduled for December 19 and reports suggest that Capello will hold talks with chief executive Brian Barwick in the next few days.

Italy's World Cup-winning coach Marcello Lippi, Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill and former Germany coach Juergen Klinnsmann have also been touted for one of the most high-profile and difficult jobs in football.

But Capello, a veteran of nine title wins during an illustrious career which has encompassed spells at Juventus, AC Milan, Roma and Real Madrid, ticks most of the FA boxes as chief executive Brian Barwick promises to find a "world class" coach to restore the fortunes of an underperforming national team.

McClaren departed the day after England crashed out of Euro 2008 with a 3-2 home defeat to Croatian at Wembley and former Chelsea manager Mourinho quickly emerged as favorite with both fans and the bookmakers.

But Monday's statement brought that speculation to an abrupt end.

"After deep and serious thinking, I decided to exclude myself from being England manager despite being a fantastic position for me.

England do not play an international until a friendly against Switzerland on February 6 and will begin their qualifcation for the 2010 World Cup finals -- they are in the same group as Croatia -- in the autumn of 2008. E-mail to a friend