England manager Fabio Capello prepares to restore John Terry in place of Rio Ferdinand to the captaincy for good
Fabio Capello will travel to Manchester on Tuesday, where he is expected to inform Rio Ferdinand that he is reinstating John Terry as the England captain on a permanent basis.
The extraordinary move will infuriate Ferdinand although it is understood he will back away from suggestions that he might quit international football.
However the defender feels he has been seriously let down by the way in which the England manager has handled the captaincy issue over the past few days.
Ferdinand also believes that he has been misled, having sought assurances over the weekend about his position when reports first emerged that Capello was thinking of turning back to Terry. One source said the player had been treated with a “lack of respect”.
England sources on Monday night insisted that Capello had yet to state his “true intention” and it is still possible that he will perform another about-turn on Tuesday. But it appears that he has decided to restore Terry, even though Capello accepts it amounts to an incredible change of heart after declaring that the Chelsea defender would never captain England again under him.
Ferdinand will demand a clear explanation from Capello when the pair meet before United’s Champions League tie at home to Marseille, which the defender misses through injury.
After that the 32 year-old will assess his future although it is extremely unlikely he will turn his back on England.
Ferdinand will, nevertheless, reject the argument, if Capello uses it, that his injury problems hamper him being captain. Terry has had similar issues and was even questioned over his fitness by the England management after missing three of the autumn internationals.
By handing the armband back to Terry, Capello will risk creating a rift in the England camp even though he will argue that Terry has served a year-long punishment after being stripped of the honour over allegations surrounding his private life.
It had appeared that Capello was considering selecting Terry as his captain only to face Wales in a crucial Euro 2012 qualifier next week if Ferdinand, as expected, joins Steven Gerrard in being ruled out through injury. However, it now appears that Capello believes that Terry has been punished enough and is the best man to lead England.
“I’m going to Manchester to speak to Rio,” Capello said yesterday. “First of all I want to know when he’ll be fit because he’s a very important player for us. And after that I will explain to him what I will do next week, if I will decide for the new captain to be John Terry.”
Tellingly, Capello added: “I think I need to make a decision about a permanent captain. It would not be for just one game.”
Capello also plans to talk to Gerrard, the current vice-captain, on Thursday before Liverpool’s Europa Cup game with Braga. However it appears that the decision, which Capello will formally announce only on the eve of the Wales game, has effectively already been made and that the manager is convinced that the overwhelming majority of the England squad would be happy for Terry to be restored to the role. That may not be a correct assumption.
Capello revealed his sympathy for Terry. “After one year of punishment, it’s a good period to understand a mistake,” he said.
Capello has also been impressed by the way in which Terry has conducted himself in the England camp since he lost the captaincy, which also shows the manager harbours no grudge over the player’s outburst during the World Cup.
The Italian confirmed that he started to have second thoughts about the captaincy during last month’s friendly away to Denmark, when stand-in captain Frank Lampard was substituted and the armband was passed to both Gareth Barry and Ashley Cole, leaving Terry feeling publicly humiliated.
“I was really upset when I saw the armband being passed around and 'who is the captain, who is the next one?’” Capello said. “For John Terry this was not the best moment to see this. I don’t want the armband passed around. I understood the value of the captaincy in England.”
Asked if it would be a difficult conversation with Ferdinand, Capello said: “Why? He’s a captain, he’s a really important player. I will explain what happened in Denmark and why I think about this. It’s not because Rio’s not a good captain. I want to speak with Rio and the players but at the end it will be my decision.”
Capello insisted both Ferdinand and Gerrard had been “fantastic” captains but could not help adding that Terry had always been his first choice. “My first captain was John Terry; after Rio, then Steve. My first choice was JT. After the mistake it was the vice-captain Rio.”
Capello is confident that Terry can be trusted to keep off the front pages following the revelations that led to him losing the armband. “He’s old enough to understand it’s really important,” he said. “As England captain, Chelsea’s captain and one of the most important players in the world.”
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