John Scales praised the FA's 'bold and decisive' decision over the England captaincy, on Soccer AM.
FA have dealt well with an 'awkward' decision, says Scales
John Scales has praised the Football Association for being 'bold and decisive', after stripping John Terry of the England captaincy.
The decision was announced by the FA on Friday following confirmation that Terry, who has been charged with racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, will not stand trial until July 9th.
England coach Fabio Capello had previously suggested he would continue to select the Chelsea captain until the conclusion of the case.
However, that will now be after this summer's Euro 2012 finals and the FA board have decided to relieve Terry of the captain's armband as they feel it would be wrong for him to lead England into the European Championship with a serious accusation hanging over him.
Former England defender Scales was capped three times by his country and he says he has been impressed with the FA's handling of the situation and believes it's now up to Capello to decide whether to take Terry to Poland and Ukraine or not.
"It's always an awkward situation for the FA to be in and I think they've handled it pretty well," he told
Soccer AM.
"I like the way David Bernstein has come in and the board of directors have made a bold and decisive decision.
"Being the England captain you are in an incredibly privileged position. There's a responsibility that comes with that and he's the focal point of everything about the FA and England - speaking with the media, speaking with the sponsors - in the modern game it comes with a lot more than just being a figure head on the pitch.
"You've got to have the respect of the players and the biggest thing is going into the tournament, people are going to be asking should John Terry be playing in it, or shouldn't he?
"The FA I don't think can make that decision, that's a decision that Capello is paid the money he is paid for. He's got to make that big decision to get the team - whether it's John Terry or someone else - in harmony.
"That's the single most important thing - that the players go in there and they haven't got all the clutter of a criminal case coming up in July, so it's an awkward one.
Focus
"The one thing you can't question is John Terry's focus when he's on the pitch.
"What he does individually for Chelsea and England. He gives his all and gives everything.
"What I'm saying is that the team is the most important thing and Capello has to get that right."
It's now up to Capello to decide which player will lead England out at Euro 2012, however the subject could be up for debate again soon after.
The Italian will leave his post following this summer's tournament and Scales believes Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp would be an excellent replacement.
"Personally I think Harry is the perfect man to go and manage England," he said.
"I think it's much more, these days, about managing the group of players and getting the best out of them.
"It's not so much about the coaching and being a tactical genius, you've got people around you (to do that), it's about motivating that group of players and getting the best out of them - having a great harmony within that group."
