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Terry to learn England fate

[Reprint from sky sports] John Terry's position as England captain is being considered by senior Football Association officials and he could discover on Friday if he is to be stripped of the armband. FA chairman David Bernstein on Thursday contacted all the other members of the 12-strong board to seek their views on Terry's captaincy after the announcement that the Chelsea defender's court case, where he is accused of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand, will not take place until 9th July - after Euro 2012. More than one board member argued strongly that Terry should not be the England figurehead with such a serious charge hanging over him, and that the FA should act immediately rather than putting off a decision until the next board meeting on 23rd February. The spectre of England this summer being forced to make a complaint about racist abuse from the crowd when playing matches in Ukraine has been raised - it would be difficult for the FA to take the moral high ground if England's captain is himself facing a criminal charge for racism. Other board members believe the FA is in a no-win situation and that if it removes the England captaincy from Terry it will be accused of pre-judging the case and ignoring the principle of innocent-until-proven guilty. Terry's barrister on Wednesday entered a formal 'not guilty' plea at Westminster Magistrates' Court. England manager Fabio Capello is another factor and the Italian has previously insisted he should be the one making the decisions over the captain. Some significant voices have been raised calling for Terry to stand aside. Damian Collins, a Tory MP who sits on the culture, media and sport committee and who has made a name for himself as a campaigner for FIFA reform, said: "He is in a public position as England captain. "Anyone else in a public position faced with such a criminal charge would stand aside from their position and then if cleared be able to return to that position. "This has gone beyond being an allegation. He has been charged and has to appear in court and I don't think under those circumstances he can fulfil his duties. "It is also what it means for communities across the country if people just close their eyes to the situation until after the court case." （一个慢牛）

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