JOHN TERRY is to be included in Fabio Capello’s provisional England squad for the friendlies against Spain and Sweden despite being the subject of separate investigations by Hammersmith and Fulham police and the Football Association into allegations that he racially abused Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea’s defeat at Queens Park Rangers last month.

Capello is due to inform those players under consideration for the games at Wembley today and his instinct is to select Terry, his captain, while no charges have been brought against him. Terry, an unused substitute in Chelsea’s Champions League draw at Genk, is understood to be keen to play and the management are anxious that the player must be presumed innocent until proved guilty.

There is an acceptance, however, of the gravity of the allegations and Capello is to speak to the FA before announcing his final party. The England management had hoped the FA’s disciplinary and governance unit might have concluded their investigation into a complaint of racial abuse, submitted by QPR last week, by the time the squad is announced on Sunday evening. Yet the notion that the issue could be resolved speedily could prove fanciful given that the police are now conducting formal inquiries.

The police have yet to contact Ferdinand to arrange an interview but are expected to speak to Terry before the end of the week.

The Chelsea centre-back admits that he used offensive words in the 85th-minute incident in his side’s 1-0 defeat at Loftus Road on October 23rd but says he shouted them as a denial, having been under the impression that Ferdinand had accused him of making a racist remark. He has welcomed the FA’s inquiry as an opportunity to clear his name.

Chelsea have vowed to identify those among their 1,100 travelling supporters in Genk who taunted Ferdinand at the Cristal Arena on Tuesday. Sections of the away fans had chorused: “Anton Ferdinand, you know what you are”.

Chelsea have taken the initiative themselves.