The future of John Terry's reign as England captain remained uncertain, with the English Football Association (FA) confirming that Fabio Capello alone would decide if he would lose the armband. The Chelsea defender has been at the centre of a tabloid storm in the United Kingdom over revelations of an affair with Vanessa Perroncel, a former girlfriend of teammate Wayne Bridge. The pair broke up in December. Bridge is an international teammate of Terry and played alongside him at Chelsea before moving to Manchester City. England's next fixture is a friendly against Egypt at Wembley, London, on March 3. Both players would expect to be included in the squad. There have been calls for Terry to be replaced as captain, and it is believed he is considering resigning from the role. The FA said yesterday that Capello, the England head coach, would have the final say. A spokesman said: Fabio is fully up to speed with developments regarding John Terry. He spoke with our chairman Lord Triesman and chief executive Ian Watmore, who both backed him to make the best decision for England on footballing grounds. "Fabio is dealing with the matter in his own way using his extensive experience as a football manager." Capello has missed much of the controversy as he has been in Switzerland recoving from knee surgery, but will be present in Warsaw, Poland, on Sunday when the draw for the qualifying tournament for the 2012 European Championship is made. Terry had already been at the centre of several non-footballing controversies. Late last year it was revealed he accepted £10,000 (Dh60,000) in return for giving a private tour of Chelsea's Cobham training facilities without first getting permission from the club. In September 2001 Terry, along with three other young players, abused members of the public after a drinking session at a Heathrow Airport bar and the following year he was one of four Chelsea players charged with asault after a fight with doormen at a nightclub. Terry was cleared in court. Terry was also thrown out of a nightclub later that year after urinating in a glass in a nightclub before dropping it on the floor. He was also embarassed when his mother and mother-in-law were cautioned after being caught shoplifting last March. Despite attracting such controversy his status as a natural leader on the football pitch has never been in doubt. Steve McClaren made him England captain in 2006, and he kept the armband under Capello - but only after a lengthy audtion process when Rio Ferdinand, Gareth Barry, Steven Gerrard and David Beckham were all used in the role. Capello's concern will be how this scandal affects his standing with his international teammates. Bridge may yet make the decision easier for Capello, with suggestions he may retire from the national side.
lthornhill@thenational.ae
