Published reports this morning say that Fabio Capello is considering giving the England captaincy back to John Terry for this month’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales – and beyond.
Discussions are said to have already taken place within the FA over what is certain to be a hotly-debated issue. But the England management have been assured by chairman David Bernstein that the choice of England captain is entirely Capello’s call and he will be supported in whatever he decides.
Capello stripped Terry of the captaincy last February, upset by a series of controversial incidents involving the player.
But with Steven Gerrard ruled out of the match at the Millennium Stadium on March 26 following hernia surgery this week and Rio Ferdinand having played only one game since January 16, Capello needs a captain.
But it appears that Capello does not see Terry as merely a short-term appointment and is said to be increasingly of the view that he remains the team’s natural leader. The feeling is Terry might not be a stop-gap but a permanent choice, going through to Euro 2012.
This has all the makings of a desperate move by Capello who said on February 27 last year that “Until the World Cup, Terry will not be captain again. After the World Cup, if I remain as manager, I think not.”
But after being held to a draw at home with Montenegro in September, the Wales game has become a must-win game for England, and it appears that Capello is wiling to look the worst kind of discretion in order to get a victory.
