Rob Green reveals Capello blanked him for rest of 2010 World Cup after USA howler

Rob Green has revealed that Fabio Capello stopped speaking to him entirely after dropping him following his costly error in England’s 2010 World Cup opener against the USA. The goalkeeper, who was England’s first-choice heading into the South Africa tournament, let Clint Dempsey’s speculative long-range shot slip through his hands to hand the Americans a 1-1 draw — a mistake that ended his tournament on the spot.

“After the USA match, he just told me I wasn’t playing and that was the last time he spoke to me at the tournament,” Green told The Athletic. “There was no communication from Capello. Why did he care? He was just matter of fact.”

Capello replaced Green with David James for England’s remaining group games and was blunt in his post-match assessment of the blunder. “Sometimes a forward misses, sometimes a keeper makes a mistake — that’s football,” the Italian said. “The second half he played very well, but the mistake remains a mistake.”

England had arrived in South Africa with genuine expectations. Their qualifying campaign had been impressive, and they were considered among the contenders, but the tournament unravelled quickly. After the draw with the USA, they were held again by Algeria before a win over Slovenia carried them into the last 16. There, they were dismantled 4-1 by Germany.

Capello kept his job following a post-tournament review but departed before Euro 2012, resigning after falling out with the Football Association over their decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy.

Green’s international career effectively ended in South Africa. He earned one further cap in 2012 but never re-established himself in the England picture. At club level, he left West Ham, spent several seasons at QPR — including a promotion from the Championship — before finishing his professional career at Leeds United.