Martin O'Neill's shock decision to quit Aston Villa has put Fabio Capello's position as England manager under pressure.
Capello's stock in England is on a downward spiral after his decision to call an end to David Beckham's England career backfired into a media campaign against the Italian.
In the wake of England's poor performance at the World Cup - culminating in a 4-1 loss to Germany in the last 16 stage - there were members of the English Football Association's (FA) international committee who wanted Capello removed.
But it was decided to stick with the former AC Milan and Real Madrid coach on the basis there was no obvious available successor.
However, O'Neill's availability may now give the FA the confidence to ditch Capello.
Beckham is seen as a key to England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup. The FA hope his role as lead ambassador will sway votes of Fifa delegates in their favour.
In an interview televised on Wednesday, Capello declared that Beckham was too old to continue at international level and the LA Galaxy midfielder, 35, did not disguise his disgust at how he had been treated, letting it be known that he does not consider his England playing days over and telling reporters that he felt "disrespected, disappointed and dismayed".
An FA source admitted: " There are increasing worries about Capello. It has certainly not gone down well how things have blown up around the Beckham situation.
"David is a very popular figure at the FA and it would be a blow to the World Cup bid at this delicate stage if David's involvement is affected."
O'Neill was one of several candidates the FA interviewed after the 2006 World Cup finals when Sven-Goran Eriksson left. Steve McClaren, who worked under the Swede for several years, was eventually appointed.
It is understood that some members of the FA international committee did not like an aspect during O'Neill's interview when he displayed no interest in being involved in the FA's youth development programme.
If Capello were to be sacked, he could be entitled to more than £10 million (Dh58m) due to a clause in his contract.
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Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Motori Profile
Date started: March 2020
Co-founder/CEO: Ahmed Eissa
Based: UAE, Abu Dhabi
Sector: Insurance Sector
Size: 50 full-time employees (Inside and Outside UAE)
Stage: Seed stage and seeking Series A round of financing
Investors: Safe City Group
The more serious side of specialty coffee
While the taste of beans and freshness of roast is paramount to the specialty coffee scene, so is sustainability and workers’ rights.
The bulk of genuine specialty coffee companies aim to improve on these elements in every stage of production via direct relationships with farmers. For instance, Mokha 1450 on Al Wasl Road strives to work predominantly with women-owned and -operated coffee organisations, including female farmers in the Sabree mountains of Yemen.
Because, as the boutique’s owner, Garfield Kerr, points out: “women represent over 90 per cent of the coffee value chain, but are woefully underrepresented in less than 10 per cent of ownership and management throughout the global coffee industry.”
One of the UAE’s largest suppliers of green (meaning not-yet-roasted) beans, Raw Coffee, is a founding member of the Partnership of Gender Equity, which aims to empower female coffee farmers and harvesters.
Also, globally, many companies have found the perfect way to recycle old coffee grounds: they create the perfect fertile soil in which to grow mushrooms.
The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013