Beckham Retires
MEMO TO: FABIO CAPELLO, ENGLAND MANAGER
FROM: FA COMMUNICATIONS DIRECTOR
SUBJECT: KEEPING ON MESSAGE
Mr Capello,
Following the disappointing campaign for all of us at the FA at this year’s World Cup last night’s game against Hungary was crucial for the team, but the FA as a whole, to draw a line in the sand and start building again for the future.
The commercial team here have been heartened that 72,000 fans attended the game and were largely supportive. Hope is high that we can continue this support into the forthcoming qualifying campaign. Your words last night publically thanking those who made the trip were spot on and just the sort of positive messaging we need in future media interviews. There is a problem that needs addressing however in relation to your words on David Beckham.
When we ran through your key messages, prior to the team meeting up this week, it was agreed that you would be positive, look to the future, as well as showing gratitude to the fans in any interviews you gave. What was not discussed was prematurely announcing the retirement of the fans favourite David Beckham as part of our strategy. As you will see from the newspaper cuttings that have been delivered to your office this morning, as well as the headlines on all broadcasting channels, Beckham’s ‘forced’ retirement is the one and only story of the day. Your previously positive reputation as a decisive man manger has been further undermined while the FA is once again having to react to the news agenda rather than control it.
In our media training sessions we have covered the importance of keeping on message as well as the process of building a positive narrative in the media. With these comments you veered away from your key messages and ensured that a strong England performance – that should have been the start of a new positive media narrative – has been overshadowed. Even the most effective of rapid rebuttal operations would not have been able to prevent today’s media storm.
We have also covered the need for sports associations and teams to be much more aware of their broader reputations in our discussions over the Capello Index. The FA has consistently been criticised for the way we have handled ourselves over many years due to various scandals so we must ensure that everything we do is building a positive ‘corporate’ reputation. This will take time but in the challenging environment for securing long-term sports sponsorship – look at the French FA as a case in point – is something we must urgently address.
It is not for me to dictate to you how you behave on the touchline – although a little bit of passion and pride shown when the England captain scores two wonderful goals might help repair your damaged reputation – what I can do is remind you of some of the top 10 media interview tips:
- Keep your answers short and positive
- Take a second before answering
- Be prepared for new questions stemming from your answers
- Preparation really does help
We will be in touch with your PA to organise a refresher session on media training, concentrating on keeping on message.
