Fabio Capello has taken a swipe at Germany for adopting players of Turkish origin and called upon football’s rulers to end the drain of talent from poorer countries.

Capello is still haunted by England’s 4-1 defeat at the hands of the Germans in last summer’s World Cup and raised the issue of citizenship when he addressed the Dubai International Sport conference.

‘A line needs to be drawn,’ said the Italian. ‘Richer clubs are talent-scouting and stealing players by bidding higher and not thinking about the consequences for those countries.

‘These players are acquiring new passports. Germany had five of Turkish origin who opted to represent them and we all know what happened.’

Germany’s squad for the 2010 World Cup final in South Africa contained 11 players who could have qualified for other countries. Capello claims Turkey would have been far stronger with the ‘five’ who opted to represent Germany but his facts are muddled. Two players of Turkish descent were in Joachim Low’s squad — Mesut Ozil and Serdar Tasci — and both were born in Germany.

Miroslav Klose and Lukas Podolski, who both scored against England in Bloemfontein, were born in Poland. Podolski moved to Germany aged two and Klose aged seven.

Ozil's ear-flick is insufficiently German for Fabio Capello. It is a Turkish ear-flick.

The crux of Capello’s complaint is about young players bought by rich clubs, lured from poor countries and nationalised, and he expects UEFA president Michel Platini to tackle the issue.

‘Decisions need to be made,’ said Capello. ‘Players can be bought, especially when they come from poorer backgrounds. I do not accept that, having trained a player, a different team can steal the player from me. UEFA should pass rules allowing people to reap the seed that’s been sown instead of having talents leave when they receive a major offer.

‘I’ve spoken to Michel Platini and he is resolute. Clubs will be forbidden to steal young  players from abroad.’

Capello denied England had stolen Danny Welbeck, who qualified for Ghana, saying: ‘He was born and brought up in England. I spoke to his family and they were fine.’


And a second article on the subject, referencing the DFB response.

Italian manager of England and general asshole, Fabio Capello.

• Capello blasts "player theft"

Speaking in Dubai on Thursday, Capello said rules should be brought in that prevented clubs "stealing'' youngsters from another country, which in turn tips the balance on the international stage.

Capello used the example of Germany, who took 11 players to the last World Cup who had dual eligibility, including star man Mesut Ozil and defender Serdar Tasci, both of Turkish origin. They helped Germany beat England 4-1 in Bloemfontein, a scar which has not healed with Capello and continues to fester heading towards Euro 2012.

Although the DFB are not interested in making a public statement on Capello's comments, it is known they are not happy and privately have questioned the Italian for getting his facts wrong.

In the case of Ozil, a third generation Turk, he was born in Germany and represented the country at all youth age groups, in much the same way as Manchester United's Danny Welbeck - who has opted for a career with England despite being eligible for Ghana through his parentage.

The DFB are not alone in drawing a parallel between the two cases, even though Capello has insisted there was a difference and he consulted with Welbeck's parents before handing the 21-year-old his competitive debut in Montenegro, which ended any chance of him representing Ghana...


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