Pietersen blames Capello’s strict, joyless regime for football WC woes
July 20th, 2010 - 3:16 pm ICT by ANILondon, Jul 20 (ANI): England’s Twenty20 World Cup winning batsman Kevin Pietersen has blamed coach Fabio Capello’s strict and joyless regime for the football team’s flop in South Africa.
Pietersen, 30, reckons that England’s soccer manager ought to have allowed his players to enjoy some of the sights and delights of South Africa.
Pietersen, a close friend of midfielder Frank Lampard, knows all about winning World Cups, as he was named Player of the Tournament in England’s triumph in the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean, The Sun reports.
“They should have been allowed to relax and go and see the country. When you’re touring, you have to keep your mind stimulated by other things. They’re professionals so I don’t think they would have gone boozing,” Pietersen said.
“But they should have been able to get out and about if they wanted to. Eat a chocolate bar if they wanted to. To perform you need to be happy and it doesn’t look like they were that happy,” he said.
In an interview with ShortList magazine, Pietersen said: “I don’t know Capello but you cannot tell a group of adults that perform day-in, day-out for their clubs whether they can sit in a bar and watch a game of cricket or rugby and have a pint. You can’t stop these guys being the men that they are.” (ANI)
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- Flower surprised over Pietersen's departure from World Cup - Mar 08, 2011
- England struck with World Cup flops for another two years, fears Neville - Jul 05, 2010
- Kevin Pietersen retires from ODIs and T20s - May 31, 2012
- 'Beleaguered' Capello blames 'extreme tiredness' for England's World Cup rout - Jun 29, 2010
- French football star Henry believes England can achieve World Cup glory - Mar 24, 2009
- Germany's delight and England's hangover - Jun 28, 2010
- Capello risks rift with players by passing buck for World Cup fiasco - Aug 10, 2010
- Lampard to lead England in friendly against Denmark - Feb 09, 2011
- Fabio Capello flummoxed by 'God and monster' conundrum following WC debacle - Sep 03, 2010
Tags: adults, batsman, caribbean, chocolate bar, coach fabio capello, cricket, football team, frank lampard, kevin pietersen, midfielder, pint, regime, rugby, soccer manager, south africa, triumph, twenty20 world cup, woes, world cups, world twenty20