John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy for the second time in his career. The FA informed the Chelsea defender of the decision this morning. It comes after Wednesdays announcement that Terry’s trial for racially abusing the QPR defender Anton Ferdinand had been scheduled for the 9th of July – it’s just over a week after the end of Euro 2012. Terry has denied the claims against him. He was also stripped of the England captaincy back in 2010 due to intense speculation about his private life. A spokesman for the player declined to comment on Friday morning. It is the second time the Chelsea captain has been stripped of the England armband having also lost it two years ago after allegations surrounding his private life came to light. A majority of board members believed Terry should not be the England figurehead with such a serious charge hanging over him, especially given the possible scenario of England making a complaint about racist abuse from the crowd when playing matches in Ukraine this summer. It would have been difficult for the FA to take the moral high ground if England’s captain is himself facing a criminal charge for racism. Terry’s barrister on Wednesday entered a formal not guilty plea at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. England manager Fabio Capello had wanted to make the decisions over the captain and had stuck by his belief that Terry should be regarded as innocent until proven guilty but the FA board decided they had to act.

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