Overheated: An irate Fabio Capello barks orders to his substitutes during the half-time intervalFabio Capello delivered a withering half-time blast at his players on Monday but he was not the only one to lose his cool in the African heat.
Wayne Rooney was in trouble, too, as England beat the Platinum Stars 3-0 in their final game before the World Cup opener against the USA on Saturday.
Rooney was booked for screaming 'F*** you!' at referee Jeff Selogilwe and was warned by the South African official that a similar outburst in the World Cup will end in a red card.
Frayed tempers followed another display lacking fluency from England, who are struggling to cope with the unpredictable Jabulani ball and the altitude on South Africa's high veldt.
Capello, regularly ticked off by a female fourth official for standing too close to the touchline, was so angry with the first-half display that he marched into the dressing room to tell his players: 'I know it's a friendly and for charity but it's also a match and you had better start treating it as one.'
Warning: Goalscorer Rooney had cross words with referee SelogilweThe manager then stormed straight out and sat alone on the bench, quietly fuming, before walking over to the substitutes to tell them they were all coming on.
He made 10 changes - only Joe Cole stayed on for 90 minutes - and England improved, showing a far greater appetite and generating a better tempo.
Jermain Defoe scored early in the game but the Stars missed a dubiously awarded penalty before Joe Cole and Rooney added late goals.
'The manager is a great character,' said Defoe.
'All he wants to do is win. He gets you fired up before the games and he's right. He wants you to press high up, win the ball back and give 100 per cent, even in training.'
Rooney's approach certainly gave England more urgency but the Manchester United striker snapped when he thought a series of decisions were going against him.
Referee Selogilwe said: 'Rooney insulted me. He said "F*** you". He is a good player when you see him on the television but when you see him on the pitch he just keeps insulting the referees.
'Rooney insults people and fouls other players. If he insults a referee like me, then he will use that vulgar language to other referees as well.
Sweet strike: Rooney rounded up the win with a fine volley inside the area'He must learn to control his temper. He could get sent off in the World Cup if he uses this language. I was very disappointed in Rooney because he is my favourite player. He is still my favourite player. He apologised to me and gave me his shirt.'
Rooney's last game in the World Cup ended with a red card against Portugal, four years ago.
He would not be the same force without 'that fire in his belly', according to Defoe but all England's players are impatient to start their campaign.
Early doors: Spurs striker Jermain Defoe put England into an early lead against the Platinum Stars, who later missed a penaltyDefoe said: 'It's been a long build-up. Everyone's hungry. We're winning games and we want to take that into a tournament. We're ready. Saturday will be different. The USA will give it a go, but we have to go out there and be confident.'
source: dailymail
