England Comment: Why John Terry must hand in the captain's armband
Disgraced skipper can no longer command respect from his team-mates
Feb 1, 2010 5:45:00 AM
Photo GalleryZoomFriendly: John Terry , England - USA (PA) By Amar Singh | England Correspondent
After a weekend of damaging revelations surrounding John Terry and his affair with Wayne Bridge's partner Vanessa Perroncel, all eyes are on Fabio Capello.
Will the single-minded England manager take tough action against his publicly-disgraced skipper and demand that he hand over his armband? Regardless, the onus to do the right thing should not be on Capello, but on John Terry.
If the 29-year-old defender wants to preserve the little respect he has left in the England dressing room and ensure he is on that plane to South Africa, he must accept to Capello that his position as captain is now untenable.
Capello, a devout Roman Catholic, is likely to be unimpressed by the allegations this weekend that Terry paid for his secret lover to have an abortion. But the Italian will want to hear Terry's version of events first, when the two meet in the coming days. After that tense conversation, a decision should be made immediately.
Many people in England believe that Terry's affair with the French model and mother of Wayne Bridge's child is a private matter, unrelated to his ability to perform on the pitch for the national team.
'JT' has committed no crime; say the most blinkered Chelsea fans and the most fervently-patriotic England supporters who are desperate for the Three Lions to go all the way at the World Cup.
But by 'doing the dirty' on a team-mate (and former best friend) Terry has broken the code of the dressing room. No longer can Terry look his team-mates in the eye and command their full respect. Moreover, reports have emerged that some of Terry's international team-mates are 'disgusted' by his behaviour.
England cannot afford to have a divided dressing room ahead of the World Cup. But above any concerns surrounding England's chances at this summer's tournament is the integrity of the sport in this country.
Nobody expects footballers to be saints - and often the best players get away with the most.
This World Cup will see Diego Maradona - a former cocaine addict with a history of outrageous indiscretions - in charge of Argentina, whilst France qualified by way of a dubious Thierry Henry hand ball that went unpunished.
But the position of England captain is, in reality, as high profile as any in this sport, hence the comments from Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe today that a decision must be made on Terry's captaincy.
The England captain is expected to be a role model to a generation of youngsters - a real life 'Roy of the Rovers' whose face is adorned on cereal boxes and whose name is emblazoned on the back of official shirts.
It is an image that John Terry and his representatives have worked hard to cultivate over the years. Terry is 'Mr Chelsea' - a natural leader who gives his all for England, too - is the general claim.
This latest sex scandal to hit Terry follows years of kiss-and-tell tabloid stories and reports of drunken, loutish behaviour. The entire image has proven to be farce.
Few will doubt that this is one scandal too many for Terry - and by far the most damaging to his reputation. But he can salvage his England career by resigning as captain before forcing Capello make the decision for him.
If John Terry leads England out on Wembley's hallowed turf once more, then the integrity of our national game will be undermined - at this World Cup and beyond.
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