Chelsea's John Terry Deserved Better

That's a matter for the authorities, and will be settled in Court.

But let's face facts - John Terry clearly couldn't have remained Captain of England with these charges hanging over him. Although 'innocent until proved guilty' and all that, it would have done the FA no good and certainly the morale of team England no good to have had him in a leadership role.

The right thing for Terry to have done, of course, was for him to have voluntarily given up the armband. When he didn't, the FA should have made it clear to him that, for the sake of his dignity, he would be well served to step aside (making it clear that they would replace him if he didn't do the right thing).

Instead, Terry has been publicly humiliated, having apparently not been given any heads up about the way the FA was thinking. Whatever you think of John Terry, and whatever thinks about his alleged behaviour, that is wrong. Even John Terry deserved better.

So Terry now becomes the only man to have been stripped of the England Captaincy (twice). And, given the circumstances, it's difficult to see how he can be considered for selection for England again until the criminal case has run its course.

image: © Ronnie Macdonald