England boss Fabio Capello has excused West Ham United goalkeeper Robert Green for his blunder, blaming the Jabulani ball.

The Daily Mail says it emerged last night that Capello is far more critical of the adidas Jabulani ball than any mistake Green might have made when he allowed Clint Dempsey's shot to spin off his gloves and cross the line.

Capello is understood to be frustrated by the fact that his players have had less time with the ball than other countries, Germany among them, and believes his keeper was a victim of the controversial ball.

While Capello refused to publicly back Green, instead stating that he wanted to see if the incident had affected the West Ham keeper 'psychologically' before making a decision, his take on the USA's equaliser will encourage the 30-year-old.