Capello Crumbles Under Media Pressure

Media witch hunt leaves John Terry Stripped of the captaincy

Last Friday evening Fabio Capello made his first noticeable mistake as England manager. After one of the most publicised weeks in John Terry's career, the England boss decided to give in to the media's pressure and relieve the Chelsea skipper of his duty as captain.

John Terry was drowning in a sea of front and back page headlines after it was revealed that he had been cheating on his wife with Vanessa Perroncel, the ex-girlfriend of Manchester City left-back Wayne Bridge. That's when the newspapers decided to get together, light their torches, sharpen their pitch-forks and have themselves a good old fashioned witch hunt.

In a statement released by Fabio Capello a few hours after his decision, he explained, "As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad. What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice."

Very admirable you may think, however Capello still hasn't eliminated the possibility of any problems within the England changing room. He may not be leading the team out to South Africa but John Terry will continue to be a dominant figure within the England team. He will continue to be a big influence within the squad.

So any fear of tension in the England team has not been avoided. Not by a long shot!

Fabio Capello has set a dangerous precedent for English football. From this moment on, every England captain that has a slightly checkered past or makes a mistake in their personal life shall be stripped of their honour and fed to the rabid media hounds.

The prestigious award of leading your country as captain has been whittled down from the best man for the job, to the most popular media figure.