Never short of attention, Terry falls directly into the spotlight again today with news from the FA chairmen David Bernstein coming through early this morning. Following the decision to delay the trial charging Terry with racist misconduct against QPR’s Anton Ferdinand until after the Euro 2012 finals, the FA concluded a player cannot lead a team with such serious allegations looming over them. But what now? Debates have already sparked a light on Twitter and such on who will succeed the Chelsea legend, but an equally serious dilemma faces Capello; can Terry even go to Euros now?
Let us remember this is not the first time Terry has been stripped of the ultimate honour in football, but cast our mind back to the Wayne Bridge debacle in 2010, which threatened both his international and club career. Fans and commentators across the land were disgusted that someone could do such a thing to a fellow English compatriot. But a year is a long time in football and all faith was restored when he regained captaincy in March 2011 after a prolonged injury to Terry’s then successor; Rio Ferdinand.
This times different though. An interpersonal bust up between the private fracas of professional footballers is one thing, but allegations of in – game racist abuse is a whole other ball park, and for that (if the allegations are true) there is an increasingly misty horizon for Terry.
Oliver Holt of the Mirror has reported that Terry is considering retirement from international football after the decision, albeit nothing has been confirmed, but if there are grounds to that report, it certainly appears Terry is looking to jump before he’s pushed. His inclusion would, according to Daily Star’s Chief Sports writer and Sky Sports Sunday Supplement presenter Brian Woolnough be a “media circus”, and judging by past tournaments, England must learn from their mistakes and avoid media controversy at all costs if they face any chance of success.
“So now Capello now faces a problem: risk the possibility of in-camp hostility and division by picking him, or lose out on his undoubtedly natural leadership ability on and off the pitch if he leaves him out.”
It is not to say that the professionalism of the modern day footballer will not be able to deal with external media pressures, they cope with it week in week out, but every training session and press conference will be heavily scrutinized for divisions and player allegiances. How will the camp act in the inevitable tension between Terry and Rio Ferdinand, who may be forced to work and train alongside a man accused of abusing his younger brother? Surely no amount of professionalism can counter act raw emotions such as these, leaving the serious dilemma of sacrificing one for the other.
So now Capello now faces a problem: risk the possibility of in-camp hostility and division by picking him, or lose out on his undoubtedly natural leadership ability on and off the pitch if he leaves him out. The FA have emphasised that he is still free to pick Terry for the summer, but more and more arguments are racking up to suggest taking him may be more trouble than it’s worth. Capello’s response will be one to watch, as he wasn’t even consulted over the decision, so it remains to be seen whether he will stand by the man he has remained faithful to, or whether he will opt for fresher, ‘cleaner’ blood.
Phil Jagielka (left) and Gary Cahill (right )offer solid solutions to Terry's absence.
And there is no shortage of such blood. Centre back options are plentiful, with Cahill, Jagielka, Ferdinand, Jones and even Smalling all in with meaningful cases for making the squad. Notably, Ferdinand will surely make the cut, yet despite possibly falling short of a starting XI spot, with Cahill and Jones offering the most viable options at the back, he holds the experience that will compensate for Terry’s exclusion. So much is to be held to contend that leaving Terry out maybe isn’t such a big decision, as going by Capello’s mantra of “who plays well gets in”, he would do well to allow the new crop to prove themselves on the biggest stage.
Interestingly, England have won 65% of games with Terry as captain and 63% without, so any ‘pivotal’ influence seems somewhat exaggerated, but what few can argue is he can become a driving force, for which he has proved on countless occasions for both Chelsea and England.
Despite contentions over his influence, one problem persists: the role of the FA in determining Terry’s fate. Following the decision to delay the pending trial until July, just 9 days after Euro 2012, which was justified as a method of helping England, Terry and the FA, has forced a hand they would certainly have rather avoided. Their difficult decision to revoke his captaincy is a pre-emptive effort to clean any egg off their face before any are even cracked. But in doing so, they have hung Terry out to dry and despite stating vehemently that “this decision in no way infers any suggestion of guilt in relation to the charge made against John Terry”, it’s difficult to concur any other reasoning behind the move. Obviously the FA didn’t want the case looming over the tournament, but it seems puzzling that they’ve made the decision in such a way, and by not even conferring with Capello have singled themselves out to even more scrutiny from the echelons of the football stratosphere.
The tensions the looming Terry trial will create are best avoided by the England camp. SUPERNATURALFAN90
Should they stand by Terry? Or do they need to uphold the professionalism needed in dealing with such serious issues? Chelsea coach Andre Villas- Boas has come out to fully back his man, but the FA seem all too comfortable in abandoning the target so long as it maintains their ‘traditional’ value.
The last thing the FA want to do is look weak in the face of adversity, but by doing so have split both opinion and allegiances by making the first, solitary move. Obviously the whole issue has gone on far too long, and in contrast to the Suarez/ Evra racism row, which was put to bed almost immediately after a swift review by the FA, the Terry/Ferdinand saga became criminal before the FA could react. As soon as it became out of the FA’s hands, it was inevitably going to become complicated, but for them to come out and authoritatively infer a such a level of guilt, regardless of their claims to the other, purely adds further fuel to their blazing fire.
There are, of course two sides to every coin, and some may claim that the decision, however hard for the FA was the correct one. Say for example, Terry isn’t stripped and England pull out a 66’esc campaign with his trophy lifting glory enshrined in English sporting history, but just days later is convicted of racial abuse. What then? The (2nd) greatest moment in English international football would have a gloomy black cloud loomed over it; a sour aftertaste to its iconic status. Of course Terry hasn’t been convicted yet, but rather feels “disgusted” at the claims against him. But the FA couldn’t risk it, there is far too much at stake. Their decision proposes they are less concerned with the trial in 5 months time, but what is right and wrong in football. For what it’s worth, that doesn’t leave much to be desired for the FA’s treatment of its players, in that before the court of justice has spoken Terry has been thrown to the wolves. But it does work in the idealistic desires of English football, in achieving that timeless success to be paraded for years to come, even if that comes at the expense of a potentially innocent man, who arguably, shouldn’t have been re-given the band in the first place.
The next question that remains for Capello is who can succeed Terry. Ferdinand has ruled himself out, and Twitter has gone mad with speculation and rumour all day long. Nerve’s next blog will way up the best options for the Lions armband, but for as far as Terry’s involvement in England’s campaign, there seems little room for the controversy that would surround his inclusion, and the risk is counter active. For what he can offer in terms of experience and complete dedication to the cause seems outweighed by the impossibility of a completely non – partisan dressing room. Say what you will about the FA’s choice and the treatment of Terry, inevitably, people will place England’s success or failure down to Capello’s big decisions in the coming weeks, and for what it’s worth, he may be better placed putting the Terry saga firmly on the backburner, and concentrate building a solid, unified team for the future
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