Capello to decide on Terry's future
John Terry's future as England captain may be decided Friday after
days of pressure over his alleged extra-marital affair with the former
partner of a team-mate.
Head coach Fabio Capello flew into England Thursday and will make a
decision soon on whether to strip the defender of the captaincy just
months before the World Cup in South Africa.
Reports the married 29-year-old had an affair with model Vanessa
Perroncel, the former partner of international team-mate Wayne Bridge,
have sharply divided opinion in football-mad England.
Capello returned to England after recuperating from a recent knee
operation in Switzerland and was expected to decide on Terry's future
before Sunday's draw for Euro 2012 qualifying in Warsaw.
But the Italian faces a tricky judgement over how to respond to a
situation which has triggered heated debate - he will be severely
criticised whatever course of action he takes.
A poll published Friday highlighted just how split the English public
are over the fate of their football team's captain. While the majority -
46 percent of those quizzed - thought Terry should be made to stand
down, this was not far off the number who favoured him keeping the job,
which came in at 39 percent.
And just over half of respondents thought there was no need for the
public to know about the affair, while 44 percent believed the interest
legitimate, in the PoliticsHome poll that questioned more than 1,000
Britons.
Terry's alleged affair has resulted in him being pilloried, in the
words of one columnist, as a "five-star scumbag" while numerous football
figures have accused him of breaking a dressing room taboo by getting
involved with the former partner of Bridge.
As Dave Bassett, the former Wimbledon and Sheffield Utd manager, put
it: "I've had players who have left their missus or had bits and pieces
on the side but they've not gone off with a team-mate's bird. That's
crossing a line and where it comes unstuck with Terry."
But former England manager Graham Taylor took a measured view, saying
Capello would think of how the decision to strip Terry of the captaincy
would affect his performance as the team heads into the World Cup.
"The most important thing is how he performs as a player, not that
he's the captain," Taylor told BBC radio.
Capello could opt to take the view that events in Terry's private
life are none of his business and have no bearing on the player's role
with England.
But that line may be untenable if - as has been reported - Bridge is
not willing to be part of an England squad led by Terry.
On the other hand, if he decides to drop Terry in order to
accommodate Bridge, Capello will be accused of undermining England's
chances of winning the World Cup in South Africa later this year.
Bridge, who is currently England's second-choice left-back but by no
means assured of making Capello's final squad for the World Cup, has not
made any public comment.
Terry has so far resisted calls for him to resign the captaincy and
issued a statement on Tuesday saying he would not be making a decision
before he had spoken to Capello.
Reports of Terry's infidelity were published after a High Court judge
lifted an injunction on the media barring disclosure of the alleged
affair, ruling that it could not be justified under current English law.
LONDON, Friday, AFP |