LEAD: England drop Terry as captain

Feb 3, 2012, 14:22 GMT

Eds: Includes FA confirmation, extracts from statement =

London (dpa) - John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, the Football Association confirmed Friday.

The 31-year-old Chelsea defender is due to face trial on July 9 on claims he racially abused an opponent during a match in October.

Terry denies the charges but the FA Board decided it was 'in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time,' an FA statement said.

Terry is accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a league match.

The FA said Terry would not captain the England team until the allegations against him were resolved.

A number of leading figures in the sport had called on the FA to remove Terry as captain.

It is the second time Terry has had the captaincy taken from him, having been sacked in February 2010 over allegations he had an affair with a team-mate's wife.

Rio Ferdinand, Anton's older brother, is believed to be the most likely man to replace Terry as captain.

In its statement, the FA said: 'The FA Board expected the trial to be concluded prior to the European Championship.

'Further to Wednesday's confirmation that the trial will not take place until after the tournament, the Board has discussed the matter in detail and has collectively decided it is in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time.'

The FA said the decision was taken 'due to the higher profile nature of the England captaincy, on and off the pitch, and the additional demands and requirements expected of the captain leading into and during a tournament.'

However, Terry has not been excluded from the squad and manager Fabio Capello is free to select him for a match against the Netherlands on February 29 and the European Championship.

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