John Terry has announced his international retirement. Photograph: Tom Jenkins
John Terry has announced that he has ended his career as an
England
footballer – and he departed with a rebuke for the Football
Association, who he accused of making his position as an international
player untenable.
The 31-year-old
Chelsea
captain, who won 78 caps for his country, is to go before an
independent four-man commission on Monday, which was convened under the
auspices of the FA, to defend himself against a charge of using racially
abusive language towards Anton Ferdinand, the Queens Park Rangers
defender.
Terry defended himself successfully against a criminal
charge at Westminster magistrates court in July related to the same
flashpoint: that he allegedly racially abused Ferdinand in the Premier
League fixture between QPR and Chelsea at Loftus Road on 23 October last
year.
He was cleared by the chief magistrate, Howard Riddle,
because there was not the required weight of evidence to support a
conviction – proven beyond reasonable doubt. But the FA, having started
an investigation which was halted when the police and the Crown
Prosecution Service began their inquiries, reopened their case and, on
27 July, brought its charge, much to Terry's dismay.
Terry said
that he was making his statement on Sunday "in advance of the hearing of
the FA disciplinary charge because I feel the FA, in pursuing charges
against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have
made my position with the national team untenable".
Terry had been
supported by the England manager, Roy Hodgson, who took him to the
European Championship in June, while the court trial hung over him. As
recently as last month, Hodgson expressed the hope that the independent
commission would clear Terry and what has been an unedifying and
destructive affair could finally approach closure.
"I'm hoping,
and I make no secret of it, that the case will take its course and John,
hopefully, will be freed as he was freed in a court of law and will
carry on playing for England," Hodgson said. "That's my hope. What will
happen, I have no idea. I thought John did well in the Euros and I'd
like to keep using him but this is a case which is way out of my hands.
John understands that."
Terry called Hodgson before he issued his
retirement statement to offer him forewarning and thank him for standing
by him. The respect between the pair is clear. There was the sense that
nothing could retain the capacity to shock after an 11-month saga that
has taken many turns, including Terry being stripped of the England
captaincy by the FA and Fabio Capello resigning his post as the manager
in protest, but the timing of the player's statement, on the eve of his
hearing, was surprising.
Terry's legal advisers are aware the FA
requires a lower burden of proof to obtain a guilty verdict. Its
commissions judge on what they call the "balance of probability", as
opposed to "beyond reasonable doubt" in criminal trials.
Terry's
lawyers are also mindful that the FA's success rate in such matters is
high, largely because the governing body does not bring charges if it
feels that it does not have a winnable case. It is not duty-bound to
bring charges, as the police may be.
Terry's international retirement was seen by some as a pre-emptive decision.
The
FA made no comment on Sunday night, as it opted to take stock of
Terry's statement. The fact that the commission, chaired by an
independent QC, is poised to begin examining the evidence, complicated
the FA's position.
Terry's words were left to speak for
themselves. "Representing and captaining my country is what I dreamed of
as a boy and it has been a truly great honour," he said. "I have always
given my all and it breaks my heart to make this decision. I want to
wish Roy [Hodgson] and the team every success for the future.
"I
would like to thank the England managers who have selected me for my 78
caps. I have had great pleasure in sharing that honour with all the
players that I've played with. I would like to thank them, the fans and
my family for their support and encouragement during my international
career. I now look forward to playing for Chelsea FC, and challenging
for domestic and European honours."
Chelsea said Terry's decision had been "personal and difficult".
SOURCE.THEGUARDIAN