The Football Association has announced that John Terry has been removed as England captain and will not lead the side into Euro 2012.
Chelsea defender forced to give up armband
The Football Association has announced that John Terry has been removed as England captain and will not lead the side into Euro 2012.
FA chairman David Bernstein contacted the other members of the organisation's 12-strong board on Thursday to seek their views on Terry's captaincy after the announcement that the Chelsea defender's court case, where he is accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand, will not take place until 9th July - after this summer's European Championship.
English football's governing body was wary of being accused of pre-judging that case, with Terry innocent until proven guilty.
Calls have been mounting for him to be stripped of the national armband, though, with prominent figures inside the FA of the opinion that he should not be allowed to lead his country while such a serious allegation hangs over him.
Bernstein spoke to Terry on Friday morning and informed him of the FA's decision.
Decision
Terry has already skippered England since the alleged incident involving Ferdinand at Loftus Road in October 2011, in a friendly date with Sweden, but no criminal charges had been brought against him at that stage.
A decision has now been taken regarding his future as captain and the Chelsea centre-half will not take the armband for a meeting with Holland at Wembley on 29th February.
This is not the first time Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, with Fabio Capello having opted to pass the honour to Rio Ferdinand in February 2010 - only to return him to the position later in the year.
It now remains to be seen whether national coach Capello will select the 31-year-old in his 23-man squad for Euro 2012, with England set to kick-off their quest for continental glory against France on 11th June.
Responsibilities
"Following the decision to adjourn the court case against John Terry to July, The Football Association confirm he will not captain the England team until the allegations against him are resolved," read a statement released on the FA's
official website.
"The FA Board expected the trial to be concluded prior to the European Championship. Further to Wednesday's confirmation that the trial will not take place until after the tournament, the Board has discussed the matter in detail and has collectively decided it is in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time.
"This decision has been taken due to the higher profile nature of the England captaincy, on and off the pitch, and the additional demands and requirements expected of the captain leading into and during a tournament.
"The FA Board can confirm that he has not been excluded from the squad and that Fabio Capello is free to select him for the Holland fixture on 29 February and the European Championship.
"This decision in no way infers any suggestion of guilt in relation to the charge made against John Terry. The FA will be not be making any further comment on this matter."
