Fabio Capello has stripped John Terry of the England captaincy following allegations over his private life.
Terry’s future as skipper of his country has been the subject of intense speculation ever since allegations emerged that he had an affair with England team-mate Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend.
The Chelsea defender met with England coach Capello at Wembley on Friday to discuss his future as captain in the wake of the allegations.
There had been calls for Terry to lose the captaincy from sections of the media as it has been claimed more revelations are set to be exposed at the weekend.
The Football Association made it clear that Capello alone would decide Terry’s fate and it appears the Italian has decided to strip the player of the captaincy.
“After much thought I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry,” said Capello in a statement.
“As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad.
“What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice.
“John Terry was notified first.
“When I chose John Terry as captain, I also selected a vice-captain (Rio Ferdinand) and also named a third choice. There is no reason to change this decision.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank The FA, particularly Lord David Triesman and Ian Watmore for allowing me to make this decision in my own time and in the best interest of the team.”
Terry issued a short statement of his own after news broke of his demotion.
“I fully respect Fabio Capello’s decision,” he wrote. “I will continue to give everything for England.”
Capello returned to the United Kingdom on Thursday and is thought to have been keen to resolve the issue before travelling to Poland on Saturday for the Euro 2012 draw.
The Italian, 59, has been recovering from knee surgery at his holiday home in Switzerland.
Terry has received support from Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti with the Italian claiming it was business as usual for the club captain in training ahead of Sunday’s clash with Arsenal.
“Nothing is different about the last week,” he said. “The problem that involved John is outside our training ground and it is a normal life for us.
“John is focusing on his job and is doing very well every day and every moment. He is the captain of this team and is doing the best for this team and also he played very well the last two games and scored a goal against Burnley. His condition is fantastic right now.”
