Fabio Capello wins first round of battle with press

England manager Fabio Capello is not a man used to having his instructions ignored, as two British newspapers have discovered to their cost. The News of the World and the Daily Mail have agreed to pay "substantial donations" to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation - a cancer charity - after publishing photographs of the national team's gaffer and his wife while on holiday with Italy.

"Both newspapers accepted that internal procedures - warning of Mr Capello's concerns - had failed and that the pictures were published in error," the Press Complaints Commission said in a statement. "Following complaints, they have apologised to the Capellos, given undertakings for the future, and - at the request of the Capellos - made substantial donations to the Sir Bobby Robson Foundation."

Yet the episode could be a sign of things to come. With England's football team safely qualified for the World Cup finals in South Africa next year, and looking likely to do well, the biggest obstacle to the team's success could well be the press. England have excelled under the stern Italian, but although the honeymoon shows no signs of ending on the pitch, cracks have begun to appear in his relationship with the traditionally intrusive press.

Capello was furious that the pictures of him relaxing with his wife Laura and taking a mud bath were published in the News of the World on Sunday, and followed up by the Daily Mail on Monday, complete with condescending captions. The PCC had already been notified of concerns about the presence of photographers by Capello, and had circulated a warning to newspapers on Thursday last week, which both papers appear to have ignored.

When Capello first took over as manager in early 2008 he and the Football Association took steps to ensure that he was not subjected to the kind of hounding experienced by previous managers. The PCC told editors that Capello would consider the publication of any images of him and his wife, who has no desire to become a public figure, to be a "breach of their privacy".

The message appeared to have been received and understood - until this week. The publication of the photos could be seen as an attempt by the press to loosen the shackles - and see what they can get away with - before the build up to the World Cup begins in earnest. The competition is likely to be the most heavily hyped event in history and the British press will be at the forefront of the rabble-rousing.

The problem is that the relationship between Capello and the media may have already been damaged by the episode - a fact that will do nothing to aid Capello's campaign to promote a positive atmosphere between England players and fans. Former England manager Sven Goran-Eriksson became a tabloid whipping boy during his time as national boss and Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari ruled himself out of the job in 2006 because the British media were already making his life impossible.

By coincidence Capello and other managers congregated at Durham cathedral on Monday for the memorial service of Sir Bobby Robson, one of the first England managers to run the gauntlet of a hostile British press. Capello will take scant comfort from the fact that since his death, the once-reviled Robson has been feted as a legend. ·