Terry's England future up to Capello say FA

The Football Association have broken their silence on the John Terry furore.

Speculation about the Chelsea captain's future in the England squad has intensified since he failed with a High Court injunction to stop newspapers reporting claims about an alleged affair with lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel, a former girlfriend of Wayne Bridge.

Although there have been hints that Terry's status as captain and player within the England squad would be determined solely by Fabio Capello, the FA remained silent on the subject.

However, this evening they released a statement confirming that is exactly what will happen.

"The FA confirm that England manager Fabio Capello alone will make the decision about John Terry's position," said a statement.

England's next fixture is against African Nations Cup winners Egypt on March 3 at Wembley.

It is known Capello wants the whole issue sorting out long before then to ensure preparations do not become crowded by the controversy which took on another dimension yesterday when three Manchester City players wore 'Team Bridge' T-shirts in support of their team-mate, who is currently sidelined with a knee injury.

An FA spokesman said: "Fabio is fully up to speed with developments regarding John Terry. He spoke with our chairman Lord Triesman and chief executive Ian Watmore today, who both backed him to make the best decision for England on footballing grounds.

"Fabio is dealing with the matter in his own way using his extensive experience as a football manager."

Even for the 63-year-old Capello this will be a new experience that will test him fully.

Chelsea coach Carlo Ancelotti has already declared his intention to stick with Terry both as the cornerstone of his defence and the club's skipper.

However, many believe the England captaincy involves wider responsibilities that cannot be so easily dismissed in this instance.

Having now spoken to Triesman and Watmore, Capello will no doubt feel on more certain ground when he returns to official duties later this week in time for Sunday's Euro 2012 qualifying draw in Warsaw.