Goodbye to all that? Pressure is mounting on
Terry
Pressure was mounting on John Terry to resign as England
captain last night after
Manchester City players staged
a defiant demonstration in support of their team-mate Wayne
Bridge.
Terry’s position has seemed untenable since it emerged on Friday
that he had been having an affair with the former partner of his
England and ex-Chelsea
colleague.
And after three City players wore “Team Bridge” T-shirts during
their win over Portsmouth yesterday Terry appeared to be closer to
either resigning or being forced to stand down.
Bridge missed City’s Barclays Premier League encounter with
Portsmouth yesterday, even though it is believed he has finally
recovered from injury.
At the end of the 2-0 victory at Eastlands, Stephen Ireland was
photographed with the message of solidarity across his chest.
Keen to avoid the media spotlight, Bridge did not attend the
game, but Nigel de Jong and Carlos Tevez joined Ireland in wearing
the T-shirts, and Tevez revealed his to the TV cameras as he left
the pitch.
Bridge issued a statement over the weekend in which he said: ‘I
have read the press reporting in the last two days. The reports
deal with matters which are of a deeply personal and private
nature.
‘My primary concern is the welfare of my son. Therefore, I
intend to make no comment whatsoever either now or in the future
about these reports and ask that my privacy is respected.’
Keeping his counsel: Wayne Bridge, who missed
Manchester City's game on Sunday, stops off for petrol
While Terry showed no signs of buckling under the
pressure when he scored the winning goal for Chelsea at Burnley on
Saturday — and no desire, according to his advisers, to stand down
as England captain — the storm continues to rage.
Terry’s wife, Toni, is understood to have fled the marital home
with their children while the couple now brace themselves for the
kiss-and-tell revelations of Vanessa Perroncel — the estranged
partner of Bridge, and the mother of his child, who has enlisted
the help of publicist Max Clifford in selling her story.
The reaction of City’s players will resonate through football
and add to the feeling among many of England’s players that his
position as captain of the national team has become untenable.
Right behind you: Ireland shows solidarity with
Bridge
After the game City manager Roberto Mancini said of
Bridge: ‘He is a fantastic player, a very good player and the
players are very close to him.’
Bridge is still unsure as to whether he can remain an
international footballer while Terry is captain.
Last night Fabio Capello’s position remained unchanged. The
England manager returns from his home in Lugano, where he has been
recovering from a knee operation, on Thursday and he will hold a
number of meetings on Friday. These meetings could yet involve both
Terry and Bridge.
Not until Capello and his Italian colleagues at the FA have
heard all the evidence will they make a decision on Terry’s future
but he is beginning to understand what a serious business this
is.
He will not want to lose Terry as a player but he will not want
to lose Bridge either. Especially when Ashley Cole has a history of
injury problems.
Last night, the sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe entered the
fray. ‘On the field John Terry is a fantastic player and a good
England captain, but to be the captain of England you have got to
have wider responsibilities for the country and clearly if these
allegations are proven — and at the moment they are only
allegations — then it does call into question his role as England
captain,’ he said. ‘I speak to the FA on a regular basis so I will
be asking what their viewpoint is and we will see what comes of it
in the future.’
Show of support: Carlos Tevez reveals his
t-shirt
Only at Chelsea is Terry getting any public support.
‘He’s a strong man and a fantastic professional player,’ said his
manager, Carlo Ancelotti, after Saturday’s victory at
Burnley.
‘Anyone can have a problem and it’s important to stay focused on
his job and he’s done this.
‘That is his private life. This is about work. We don’t have to
say anything because he’s very professional, a fantastic captain
and he did a fantastic job for us. All of us at Chelsea support him
and his family.
‘I don’t have to manage anything. John has his private life. He
has to control his private life.
All friends: John Terry (left) sits with Vanessa
Perroncel, Wayne Bridge and Ashley Cole in 2007
‘I have to control my team, He is a player in my team.
He is the captain of this team and I am honoured and very proud to
manage John Terry.
‘Every game he plays, he plays very well and also tonight. He
did the important part for us.‘John Terry is special. This was a
difficult game and he scored a fantastic goal, which maybe could be
the most important goal of the season.
‘Maybe this is a sign of the destiny of the Premier League
title.’