Friday 23 December 2011

Should John Terry Be At The Euro's?

John Terry is a the heart of yet another controversy as we head into 2012, as he faces criminal charges for the apparent racial abuse he made towards QPR's Anton Ferdinand last month, and bwin are already taking bets on whether he will be on the plane to Poland & Ukraine in the summer.

Terry will no doubt be appealing the case and has vowed to clear his name, but with the case surely to be dragged out for a good few months, what affect will all of this have on the dynamics of the England team as they prepare for Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine?

Terry was at the centre of another storm prior to the World Cup in 2010 which saw him lose his captaincy as we can see in the victor chandler review. Of course the players and managers played any speculation down that Terry's actions had split the England camp, but the performance of the England team certainly suggested otherwise.

Whether the England players in the 2010 squad were divided or not, the pure distraction and scrutiny of the media wouldn't have been any good for the players to simply focus on their football, and that was clearly evident.

On the back of that, Im not convinced that the England managers and staff will want similar circumstances in Poland & Ukraine, and it might be a better idea to leave John Terry at home.

Of course he is a fantastic player and will be greatly missed on the pitch for his leadership and quality but England do have a number of promising Centre Backs who step into that role and they will come without the baggage of controversy which will result in a much more focused and healthier England camp.

With Suarez receiving an 8 match ban from the FA with seemingly little evidence of a similar situation, John Terry has actually been criminally charged. Therefore, the FA will certainly have grounds and will also have the pressure to make an example of Terry and will no doubt hit him with a lengthy ban.

This could make it easier for Capello as Terry may be suspended for the Euro's or he may be unfit, but regardless of this it might be a good idea to keep him out anyway!