Capello delays approving England’s World Cup base

It's unlikely that any of his charges will have the guts to unleash a Roy Keane style rant on Fabio Capello during the World Cup - but England's Italian manager is taking no chances and has refused to commit to the team's proposed training base at the Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus despite pressure from Fifa.

The site where England will stay during their campaign is not yet complete and there have been plenty of scaremongering reports suggesting that it will still not be ready come June.

The importance of a well-ordered World Cup base cannot be overstated. At the 2002 tournament Irish captain Keane walked out on the squad after deciding that the facilities weren't up to scratch. His spectacular parting shot was a rant at his country's English-born manager Mick McCarthy. "You can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your bollocks," he announced, before heading home.

Should any of England's players try something similar in South Africa, no matter what state the training pitch is in, it is unlikely they would ever make it home in one piece. But neither would Capello, renowned as a perfectionist, ever allow his team to face such a situation.

England's proposed home near Sun City is in a new development that is not due to be finished by 2013, but the FA agreed to base the team there on the condition that the plush hotel, medical centre and two training pitches were completed and fully operational.

Recent press reports have featured photos of building work at the site and have cast doubts over whether the complex will be ready by early June. They have described the scene as more Auf Wiedersehen, Pet than state-of-the-art training camp, but the developers are adamant that work is on schedule.

Capello is in South Africa and has inspected the site himself. He told FA officials he was "satisfied" with the progress made since his last visit in December, but so far he has refused to rubber stamp the venue as England's World Cup base.

That heaps the pressure onto Fifa, as they had wanted to confirm the bases of all 32 competing nations today. But it seems Capello is not the only one who is refusing to commit just yet. Others, including heavyweights Argentina, are said to be unconvinced by their proposed headquarters. And the hosts South Africa have admitted that they are moving their camp from Esselen Park School near Johannesburg to Sandown High School, 25 miles away in Sandton.

The whole episode raises the question, one that the organisers desperately want to put to bed, about whether South Africa is equipped enough to host a successful tournament. With just over three months until the teams start to arrive they are running out of time. ·