MAJOR QUESTION marks hang over Fabio Capello’s status as England coach after he spoke out in defence of axed skipper John Terry.
Capello was known to be upset that Terry was removed as captain on Friday, a decision that was taken by FA chairman David Bernstein without any consultation with the £6 million-a-year manager of the national side.
The decision came three months after Capello had been given full authority to deal with the Terry issue as he saw fit, selecting him as captain for the friendly win over Sweden, on the basis the defender was innocent of racism charges until such time as he is found guilty.
It is easy to see how Capello may conclude he has been badly undermined by developments, which took their decisive turn once it was known Terry would not face a court hearing into allegations he used racist language to Anton Ferdinand at Loftus Road in October until July, after Euro 2012.
Interviewed at Stamford Bridge yesterday, Capello stated openly how angry he was. Asked whether he was in agreement with “the Federation’s decision re Terry?”, Capello replied: “No, absolutely not”.
“I have spoken to the chairman and I have said that, in my opinion, one cannot be punished until it’s official and the court – a non-sporting court, a civil court – has made a decision to decide if John Terry has done what he has been accused of. I thought it was right that Terry should keep the captain’s armband.
“The fact that the board has decided in this way is because it falls under the competence regarding ethics,” he said.
Though Capello has shown no moves to leave his role, challenging the FA so openly about such a contentious subject, also raising the potential for fierce disagreement with individual England players, raises questions about the possibility of his tenure ending.
The entire issue of the England captaincy has been controversial for Capello. A firm believer of the Italian mentality where the most experienced player in the squad gets the armband, Capello was informed of the symbolic nature of the job in England and duly auditioned Terry, Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard for the role.
Capello thought he had the right man in the Chelsea skipper. However, he was forced to revise that stance when an issue in Terry’s private life led to Capello demanding his presence at Wembley in February 2010, when he was removed as captain and Ferdinand installed as his replacement.
Ferdinand then got injured, meaning Gerrard got the job.
Then, after assessing the unseemly manner in which the armband was handed around during a friendly win over Denmark in Copenhagen 12 months ago, Capello decided to give Terry the job back again.
