Ferdinand applauds iron-fisted Capello’s decision

MINSK: Rio Ferdinand has described the “WAG” culture that surrounded England in the days before Fabio Capello took charge as a “circus” and admitted that it was central to the squad’s recent failures.

In a remarkably frank interview on the eve of the World Cup qualifier with Belarus, the Manchester United defender savaged the celebrity bubble which peaked during the 2006 World Cup Finals in Germany, where the wives and girlfriends (WAGs) of the England squad generated as many headlines as the players themselves.