England boss Fabio Capello risks the wrath of Premiership managers by scheduling a friendly in November.

England look likely to play Brazil in a friendly in Qatar in November though it is the South Americans who will cash in on any fixture.

The FA need to fulfil a contractual obligation to play Brazil in an away friendly as that was part of the bargain struck when they agreed to be the opponents for the opening match at the new Wembley Stadium in 2007.

A date of Saturday, November 14 has been pencilled in but any such meeting in Doha will depend on England qualifying for the World Cup finals as top of their group and so not being involved in any play-offs.

There may be some rumblings of discontent from Premier League clubs about players having to travel to the Middle East for a friendly but the FA will point out that it is significantly better than playing the match in Brazil.