Internationals 
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Richard Aikman / 05 February 2012 /
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The FA acted decisively but they should have gone further and dropped Terry
"Even if you believe England's Euro 2012 prospects to be weaker without Terry in the squad, surely there are more important things at stake here."
James Eastham applauds the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy and calls on the Chelsea defender to step down from national team...
If John Terry truly has the leadership skills worthy of an England captain then he should stand down from international duty until he proves his innocence. Being a good captain is not about looking after number one, it is about looking after the well-being of the group, and whether he is guilty of racially aggravated public order or not, his continued presence in the England camp can only be detrimental to the unity within the squad. Standing down is the only way he can salvage any respect.
It's sad that after all the work the FA, the Premier League and the League Managers Association have done to stamp out racism - action that has proudly set them apart from federations elsewhere in the world ? recent months have been dominated by high-profile race rows. But it is precisely because of their strong stance that these issues have emerged. Rather than brush thorny issues under the carpet, as would happen in most countries, the FA have shown firm resolve in the matter and should be commended for it.
David Bernstein, the FA's president, was hardly helped by the decision to cowtow to Chelsea's request and delay Terry's hearing until July 9. Apparently, it would have been an inconvenience for their £170,000-a-week defender to interrupt his busy season to answer charges. And so, with the prospect of an alleged racist leading a multi-ethnic party to the European Championships, Bernstein rightly stripped the 31-year-old of the armband.
The only problem is, Bernstein did not go far enough. However good the Chelsea centre-half is deemed to be, unless he is removed entirely from the equation the unity of the squad will be undermined. As Jason Roberts said earlier this week, "'Believe me, the dressing room at the Euros will be toxic unless the correct decision is made. I do not believe that the England captain should go to the Euros." Indeed, one wonders whether internal divisions at Stamford Bridge might not be responsible for Chelsea's current campaign, which has been stuttering ever since that fateful day at Loftus Road on October 23. (They have won just six of 14 league matches since and find themselves a massive [180.00] to win the league).
Even if you believe England's Euro 2012 prospects to be weaker without Terry in the squad, surely there are more important things at stake here. To be honest, most football supporters couldn't care less who is captain of their country - or indeed their club - so long as the ambassadorial role does not go to somebody whose very sight makes your skin crawl. Terry's repeated indiscretions over the years simply do not make him worthy of the shirt let alone the captaincy, which incidentally earns the chosen skipper an extra £1m a year. As John Barnes said on Sportsweek today, "If John Terry is deemed too racist to captain England, then why isn't he too racist to play for England?"
It is only fair that one should be considered innocent until proven guilty, and it must be this, as well as the fact that Fabio Capello has sided staunchly with his captain throughout this latest sorry episode, that prevented Bernstein from taking a harder line. But an England captain, for want of a better phrase, should be whiter than white and so should any England player. It is with this is mind that the FA have decided to introduce an England charter to which all called-up players must sign up, agreeing to a code of conduct that if breached, will result in a pre-established disciplinary measures.
This is how far football has stooped. So detached and entitled have our elite modern-day footballers become that they require a handbook to tell them how ordinary human beings should behave. It has come too late for Terry - the book should have been thrown at him a long time ago - but let us hope he at least has the good sense to step down - or better still quit international football altogether.
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