No room at the inn for the WAGS?

England’s Football Association denied today it considered the desires of the “WAGS” – players’ wives and girlfriends – in choosing a hotel for the national team at the 2010 World Cup. The FA insisted it hadn’t even picked a place to stay.

The Daily Mail newspaper reported that the FA had chosen the Pezula Resort and Spa, which is midway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth and calls itself “South Africa’s first truly luxury resort” on its website.

The paper quoted the resort’s general manager as saying the establishment would appeal to the so-called WAGs, who attracted widespread media attention and ridicule at previous tournaments.

But the FA said it had not given thought to the question of where to stay, not least because England has played just four of its 10 qualifying matches.

“At this stage, the team management want the focus to centre on each qualifying match as we play it and we fully understand there is a long way to go in the qualifying group,” the FA said in a statement. “The management of the senior team has yet to visit South Africa to look at options.”

The FA said it will consider where to stay at a more appropriate time, and gave no indication that the WAGs’ comfort would be a consideration.

“Like all other countries we have to plan ahead, so that we are ready,” the FA said. “When the team management do visit South Africa, we will provide numerous options to consider.”

The Daily Mail acknowledged that the players’ partners may not even be allowed to stay in the hotel, with England almost certain to follow the usual practice of keeping the players together and letting them meet their families only at specified times.

But even the suggestion that the WAGs had been a consideration could be contentious since it would seem to undermine what appears to be a newly disciplined England squad.

Whereas previous managers Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren had been depicted as being too fond of the glamor and celebrity attached to the likes of David Beckham and his pop star wife Victoria, Fabio Capello has been lauded for his no-nonsence approach.

Capello reportedly shies away from using nicknames or even first names when addressing his squad and, as throughout his career, is depicted as a disciplinarian who demands unwavering dedication and professionalism from his players.

Defender Rio Ferdinand spoke this week about how effective Capello’s approach had been, calling it a major factor in the team’s best ever start to World Cup qualifying with four straight wins.

“We became a bit of a circus, if I’m honest, in terms of the whole WAG situation. It seems like there was a big show around the whole England squad,” Ferdinand said. “That then transposed itself into the team.

“It was like watching a theatre unfolding and football almost became a secondary element to the main event. People were worrying more about what people were wearing and where they were going, rather than the England football team.”