England boss Fabio Capello packs his bags with £1.5m pay-off… as Lineker claims it was no coincidence he quit as Redknapp was cleared

Fabio Capello will walk away from the England manager's job with a reported £1.5m payout despite leaving the national team in the lurch just months before Euro 2012.

Capello sensationally quit last night just hours after the man tipped to succeed him was cleared of tax evasion, leading Gary Lineker to question the timing of the Italian's departure.

The irascible Italian resigned while Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp was celebrating being acquitted following a five-year police investigation, leading the former England captain to tweet: 'Fabio out on the very day HR gets cleared. Coincidence?'

Redknapp has long been linked with the England job, with many saying the FA would never allow it with the tax investigation hanging over him.

FA chairman David Bernstein today told a press conference that the preference is for an English manager to replace Capello, but they are 'keeping an open mind'.     More