The Monday Pick Me Up: Capello Bans England World Cup Song

Just when you thought the Italian tactician and master of success couldn’t get any more focused; England manager Fabio Capello has banned a fans’ and players’ favorite: the World Cup song.

Not content with prohibiting WAGs from attending the England base next summer, Capello is again trying to take the Englishness out of English football by restricting the players’ voices. Remember John Barnes’ rap on World in Motion prior to Italia ’90? A youthful looking Gazza bobbing his head around the camera with a face-full of grin and mouthing off ‘express yourself’? Those are the images that define an era of English football. In fact, you don’t need to dig that deep to conclude that the musical bonding experience enjoyed by Beardsley, Lineker and Co. led to England’s most successful assault on the World Cup since winning the trophy at home in 1966.

If England wins the World Cup, we’ll be the first ones drunk in Trafalgar Square. But whisper it, if they fail, then we don’t want to look back and think the lack of a World Cup song counted against them.