He is the captain of the team?

Given my previous piece describing my views on the whole John Terry / England Captain issue it seemed only right that I should continue in this vein after today’s news, that Terry has been stripped of the captains armband without any reason  (see previous post for justification).

Fabio Capello, for his part, has come out on TV to express that he was totally against this and since the FA made the wrong decision and is now being lambasted for doing so. For a positive view on this visit here but for my part here is why I think David Bond and Capello’s other detractors are wrong.

As previously said – there is no proof of what John Terry is alleged to have said and done and there is certainly no guilty verdict which I think is the only justification for the FA to intervene in the matter.

The FA are arguing that Capello is wrong to denounce their decision in public and are even claiming that it breaches his contract as manager. Now, it may well breach the contract, I don’t know, but it surely says something about the level of the FA that they need to right into a contract “must agree with us when we make decisions that are nothing to do with us”. Capello is being paid a lot of money to make team decisions for England and has already made public his intention not to change his captain until a verdict was reached. Is it any wonder that he feels slightly aggrieved at what the FA have done? If anyone has undermined a previously stated opinion from the man in charge it’s them.

Capello wanted Terry to remain captain

There has also been a lot of self congratulatory applause for David Bernstein and the FA for being willing to take a strong stance on an important issue and making the decision that everyone knows is the right one. I’m afraid I have to disagree here as well, because the allegations about Terry stem from a match three months ago! If the FA had a policy (which as far as I’m aware it doesn’t) saying that a player under investigation for racial abuse and other like offences will be removed from captaincy until the investigation is complete AND the FA had then immediately stripped Terry of his position then it would make sense (though to my mind, still be completely unjust). By doing what they have done Bernstein and his colleagues have shown once again that the FA are completely clueless about how to deal with big issues and instead have dithered for 3 months before making a decisions the manager didn’t want because they thought it was what the people wanted. The people may have wanted it, but that is far from a compelling reason to do it and does not make it the right call.

Finally, there is also the comment that I made in the previous post that if Terry is not fit to lead the country because of allegations and pending court cases, how then he fit to represent the country at all? But wait I forgot – that’s the manager’s decision picking the players! Unless of course the public makes a clear compelling case in which case watch this space is about 3 months time….

Guilty until you're proven innocent?

"John Terry should stand aside as captain until the case is resolved, and any doubt either way removed,"
This is the opinion of Damian Collins MP, a member of the House of Commons Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee and an opinion shared by many according to various internet sources. 


Piara Powar, the executive director of European football's anti-discrimination body (FARE) said “…should John Terry remain as England capt through the Euros? I can't see how he can." Reading striker and radio pundit Jason Roberts Tweeted: "Believe me...the Dressing room at the Euros will be TOXIC unless the correct decision is made..!!!


But is this the only opinion on the matter? I have struggled to find anything to suggest people disagreeing with this view so thought I would have a go at it myself by way of a series of points.

1.       John Terry has denied these allegations vociferously ever since being charged and no-one to my knowledge can prove that he is guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand.

2.       Far from being proved, there has not been a trial and a presenting of evidence from either side to allow people to form an (informed) opinion.

3.       John Terry has not faced any sanctions at either club or national level from the sport’s governing body to prevent him taking the field.

If he is to be considered innocent until proven guilty, what are the grounds for stripping him of the captaincy? If he is not considered fit to captain the national team, should he be allowed to represent the team at all? On this basis Fabio Capello promised to assess the captaincy situation after the trial, which I trust he will do – if that happens to be after the European championships, so be it.

The problem of removing him from captaincy now comes if he is found not guilty of the charges. We would be punishing a man, who from outward appearances, loves playing for and captaining his country on someone else’s say so. Don't get me wrong here, if Terry is found guilty then I think there is no defense and he should lose the captaincy, but until then this just looks like a witch hunt.