Capello will have two bites of semis

Fabio Capello needs to take England to at least the semi-finals of the next World Cup or Euro 2012 as part of targets announced by the FA.

Capello: Targets set
Capello: Targets set

The FA will appoint an international performance director but he will not be Capello's boss and will oversee all national teams below the England men's senior side.

The FA's strategic vision for the next four years also includes winning the bid for the 2018 World Cup, having the National Football Centre (NFC) at Burton up and running in two years' time, and Wembley Stadium making a profit by 2012.

The document sets out a number of major milestones for both the men and women's national teams, grassroots football and policy objectives.

The target of England making the last four of the next World Cup or European Championships is one of the biggest challenges, especially given their failure to qualify for Euro 2008.

The England women's team have been presented with the same target.

FA chairman Lord Triesman said: "This document sets out our goals for the next four years and how we intend to achieve them. The FA is prepared to speak and act for the greatest sport in the world. There is much to do, and we have the determination to do it."

FA chief executive Brian Barwick admitted: "There are some significant challenges but we are confident of tackling them."

According to the FA's report, England is producing "insufficient high-quality players to represent the England national teams and insufficient quality coaches."

The NFC at Burton will be the hub of player and coaching development, according to the FA.

The structure of the FA will be changed with an 'international performance group' made up of Triesman, Barwick, Capello, under-21 manager Stuart Pearce, the new performance director, and the chairman of the international committee.

Other milestones included a million 5-11 year olds trained through the FA/Tesco Skills Programme by 2010, 125,000 existing teams retained and 20,500 new teams created by 2012, 26,000 referees retained and an additional 8,000 referees recruited by 2012.

The FA are also aiming for their RESPECT campaign to have improved overall disciplinary performance by 25% in four years' time.

Your Comments

rdhgeordie (Newcastle United fan)

"hahahahahahhaha"

barnetti (Liverpool fan)

"Looking at the ages of our most important players, and where the tournaments will be played i think Englands best chance of silverware was this summer and we're not even there!!!"

villabarrow (Aston Villa fan)

"yep theyve seriously gone OTT with their expectations. to me its simply more evidence tha the FA dont actually know what they're doing"

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