The Daily Indian

John Terry was sacked as England captain on Friday as head coach Fabio Capello reacted ruthlessly to the Chelsea defender’s alleged extra-marital affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate Wayne Bridge.

After a brief meeting with Terry at Football Association (FA) headquarters at Wembley, Capello said he had decided to take the captaincy away from the centreback in the overall interests of the squad he will take to the World Cup in South Africa in June and July.

“After much thought, I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry,” Capello said in a statement.

“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. John Terry was notified first.”

Capello appeared to indicate that Rio Ferdinand, who is currently vice-captain of the national team, would take over as captain.

“When I chose John Terry as captain, I also selected a vice-captain and also named a third choice (Steven Gerrard),” he said. “There is no reason to change this decision.”

Capello had been under intense pressure to strip the Chelsea defender of the captaincy from sections of the media that have spent the last week lambasting the married father of two over his alleged infidelity with Vanessa Perroncel, an underwear model who has a son with Bridge but is now estranged from the Manchester City left-back.

Terry had been strongly backed by his club coach Carlo Ancelotti, who has insisted that the player’s private life will have no bearing on his position as Chelsea skipper, and Stuart Pearce, who coaches England’s under-21s and helps Capello with the senior squad.

But it appears that Capello had made up his mind before a meeting that reportedly lasted only 12 minutes and finished with Terry in a distraught state.

In a statement, Terry said: “I fully respect Fabio Capello’s decision. I will continue to give everything for England.” Capello, who is due to attend the Euro 2012 qualifying draw in Warsaw on Sunday, had picked Terry as his permanent captain in August 2008 having initially appeared to be leaning towards Gerrard or Ferdinand.

He has also spoken highly of the leadership qualities of Wayne Rooney, who captained England in a friendly against Brazil in November and could yet be the World Cup skipper given the injury problems Gerrard and Ferdinand have had this season.

Barcelona’s Argentine superstar Lionel Messi is the hot favourite to win the FIFA World Player of the Year award, which will be announced Messi by world football’s governing body in Zurich on Monday.

The dazzling winger has already been honoured with the prestigious Ballon d’Or, the European Player of the Year trophy, and he picked up his sixth prize of an unforgettable year with Barcelona after scoring the winning goal in their 2-1 win over Estudiantes in the final of the World Club Cup on Saturday.

“We’ve just ended a historic year, a perfect year in which we’ve won every competition we’ve played in,” said the 22-year-old, who vanquished his Argentine compatriots Estudiantes with an innovative chested finish in extra-time of their Abu Dhabi showdown.

“We just needed to take this last step and everything has worked out how we wanted. It’s amazing. It’s difficult to put into words.”

Barcelona’s incredible 2009, in which they additionally won the league, the Spanish Cup, the Champions League, the European Super Cup and the Spanish Super Cup, has also led to nominations for midfield pair Xavi and Andres Iniesta.

“If you’re talking about all the trophies, then there’s no other side that has achieved what we have this year,” Messi added in an interview with the FIFA website.

“We are happy at having made history but make no mistake, we’ll be out to win everything again next year.”

Real Madrid pair Kaka and Cristiano Ronaldo, the reigning award-holder and world’s most expensive player, complete the five-man list of nominees but Messi is widely expected to pip them both, having already beaten Ronaldo to the Ballon d’Or earlier in the month.

The only black mark on Messi’s year was the struggle endured by Argentina in World Cup qualifying, but they eventually squeezed through and next summer’s South African showpiece will give him the opportunity to join the pantheon of the truly great alongside his national boss Diego Maradona.

Aside from the men’s prize, FIFA will select the Women’s World Player of the Year from a shortlist featuring Germans Birgit Prinz and Inka Grings, England’s Kelly Smith and Brazilian pair Cristiane and favourite Marta.

FIFA will also unveil its inaugural Team of the Year, while the Ferenc Puskas prize – named in honour of the 1950s Hungarian great – will be presented to the scorer of the year’s best goal.

Argentina’s Lionel Messi won the Golden Ball awarded to the European Footballer of the Year with the biggest margin ever on Tuesday Lionel Messi following an exceptional season with Barcelona.

Messi became the sixth Barcelona player to take the award and the first since Brazilian Ronaldinho in 2005. He beat last year’s winner Cristiano Ronaldo into second place while Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez finished third in the poll results released by France Football.

Hailed by Argentina great Diego Maradona as his successor, Messi won an unprecedented treble in Spain last season with Barcelona as the Catalan side swept the Champions League, the Spanish title and the Copa del Rey.

Messi, who tallied 473 of a possible 480 points, largely dominated the voting and won with a record-margin of 240 points. Real Madrid winger Ronaldo had 233 and Xavi had 170.

“Honestly, I knew that I was among the favorites because Barcelona had a fruitful year in 2009,” Messi was quoted as saying by the magazine. “But I didn’t expect to win with such a margin. The Golden Ball is very important to me. All the players who won it were great players, and some great players never won it.”

The 22-year-old Messi, the first Argentine to win the prestigious trophy, was the top scorer in last year’s Champions League with nine goals, including his superb header in the 2-0 victory over Manchester United in the final.

Barcelona had three players in the Top 5 with Andres Iniesta taking fourth ahead of former Barca player Samuel Eto’o.

In an outstanding season, Messi netted 38 goals in 51 games in all competitions, often leaving defenders in his wake with a combination of speed, exceptional dribbling abilities and his effective left-footed strike.

Messi, who leads Argentina to next year’s World Cup in South Africa, recently signed a new contract with Barcelona through 2016 and has a buyout clause of 250 million euros ($368 million) included. Messi had a good start to this season _ already scoring nine goals _ and put on a great display to help his club defeat archrival Real Madrid 1-0 last Sunday.

“It won’t be easy to confirm after a year like the one we just went through,” Messi said. “I hope the next one will reach the same standards. But to win the Golden Ball two years in a row is not an easy thing.”

After starting club football in 1995 at Argentina’s Newell’s Old Boys, Messi, who suffered from a growth hormone deficiency when he was a child, joined Barcelona’s Under-14 team in 2000 after the Spanish club offered to pay for his treatment.

The diminutive forward _ 1.69 meters and 67 kilograms (5-feet-7; 148 pounds) _ was part of the Argentina team at the World Cup 2006 before claiming the Olympic gold in Beijing in 2008.

France Football’s award was decided by an annual poll of football journalists from a shortlist of 30 players.

The 24-year-old Ronaldo won the Premier League title with Manchester United in 2009 before signing with Real Madrid for 93 million euros. Named best player at the 2008 European championship, where Spain won its first major title in 44 years, midfielder Xavi was also a key element in Barcelona’s treble in 2009, playing 35 Spanish league games and 14 of the 15 European matches of his club.

John Terry headed Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United to extend the team’s Premier League lead to five points, despite rarely threatening the defending champions.

Chelsea had been frustrated by United for 76 minutes, but then profited from a contentiously awarded free kick when United midfielder Darren Fletcher was judged to have fouled defender Ashley Cole yesterday.

Frank Lampard whipped the ball into the penalty area and Terry connected with a glancing header to clinch Chelsea’s 11th consecutive win in all competitions at Stamford Bridge.

“It was a bad decision, but there’s nothing we can do about it. You lose faith in refereeing sometimes,” said United manager Alex Ferguson, who is already facing a Football Association punishment for criticizing match officials.

India moved up seven places in the FIFA rankings to the 149th spot following their ONGC Nehru Cup football triumph.

Two wins in the group stage against Kyrgyzstan and Sri Lanka pulled India out of the dismal 156th spot. India’s win against Syria in Monday’s final was not counted since it ended in tie-breakers.
Syria, however, stayed at the 95th spot while Lebanon, who had defeated India in the group stage, dropped two places to the 150th spot.

Second runners-up Kyrgyzstan, despite losing two matches in the tournament, stunned everybody by jumping 17 places to the 143rd spot while Sri Lanka dropped three places to the 159th spot.

Meanwhile, South American champions Brazil are on top of the FIFA rankings followed by Euro winners Spain in the second place while the Dutch are third. Germany and world champion Italy are joint fourth.

Arsenal’s injured captain Cesc Fabregas will miss their Champions League playoff second leg tie at home to Celtic on Wednesday, said manager Arsene Wenger.

The 22-year-old Spain midfielder, who excelled in the 2-0 first-leg win at Celtic Park on Aug. 18, suffered a hamstring injury in the Premier League game with Portsmouth on Saturday.

“His scan was quite reassuring as he has no muscular strain but it will take a few days to settle down,” Wenger was quoted as saying on the official Arsenal website (www.arsenalfc.com).

Fabregas could also miss the Premier League clash with champions Manchester United at Old Trafford on Saturday, though Wenger remained optimistic he could play a part.

“There’s a chance he’ll be fit for Old Trafford,” the Frenchman added ahead of Arsenal’s return leg with Celtic.

The winners of the Champions League playoff tie will go through to the lucrative group stage.

Rafael Benitez is facing a mini crisis at Liverpool with no wins in three pre-season games, a captain on trial for affray and his top midfield duo looking to leave the club. It is not ideal preparation for a team that senses its best chance to win the League title in 20 years.

They arrived in Singapore on Thursday after a disappointing 1-1 draw against Thailand on Wednesday evening following a 0-0 draw with St Gallen of Switzerland and a 1-0 loss to Rapid Vienna. In the Thailand match a second-half strike by Sutee Suksomkit cancelled out an early opener from Ryan Babel but there was little goalmouth action to excite the crowd, with Liverpool looking decidedly rusty.

They are clearly missing the talismanic Steven Gerrard, who is in court back home on charges of affray stemming from a nightclub incident last December.
It didn’t get any better for manager Benitez, with defender Martin Skrtel (hamstring) and young Moroccan forward Nabil El Zhar (knee) injured in the Thailand match, with medical staff assessing how badly they have been hurt.

“They were not the best conditions in Bangkok and the worst thing was to lose Skrtel and El Zhar,” said Benitez. “The idea of the game was to improve match fitness. So to lose two players is bad news.”

The unsettled Xabi Alonso sat out the game with an ankle injury. The Spanish international has not failed to hide his desire to join Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka at Real Madrid while Chelsea have also expressed an interest in signing him.

Meanwhile, Javier Mascherano’s agent has been quoted by South American media as saying the player was fed up with life in England and wanted to move to Barcelona.

Benitez has made clear he wants both to stay but it is unsettling for the team. Vice-captain Jamie Carragher is hoping for a swift end to the Alonso saga at least. “The feeling within the squad is that he is a top player and you do not want to lose your top players, and hopefully it can be sorted out as soon as possible,” said Carragher.

“If the club thinks it is in their best interests (for him to move) sometimes you have to do what they think is best. “We all go through these situations – well, hopefully not me – and as I said, I just hope it gets sorted out.”

Damien Duff has pledged his allegiance to Newcastle despite seeing the club relegated to the Championship.

The Republic of Ireland international suffered the indignity of scoring an own goal on the final day of the 2008/09 season against Aston Villa, with that 1-0 defeat sending the Magpies through the Premier League trapdoor.

Keen to make amends for his, and the club’s, failings this term, Duff has now vowed to do all he can to help the club bounce back into the big time at the first time of asking.

That means he will not be seeking a summer exit from St James’ Park and will instead be leading the club’s promotion charge next season.

“I’m as loyal as they come and, whether the gaffer (Alan Shearer) stays or goes, I’d love to try to get Newcastle back up into the Premier League,” said Duff.

Rafael van der Vaart knows that Real Madrid season may be over, but is determined to end the campaign with a win.

Van der Vaart sees the last two rounds of the Primera Liga season as a chance to play for pride and to build some momentum going into next season.

Madrid will take on Mallorca and Osasuna in those two matches, and with changes expected after the presidential elections, most of the players could be playing their last couple of games in a Los Blancos shirt.

“We do not have much to play for in the remaining two games but will try to do our best to end the season in style,” Van der Vaart told his offiical website. “I would also like to congratulate the new champions. Barcelona deserved to win.”

Against Villarreal in El Madrigal the visitors were lacklustre, but with reports that he would be one of the players on the way out, Van der Vaart was pleased that he scored.

“I think we played well, but were a little bit unlucky in the end, when Villarreal scored their winning goal,” he added. “We showed high morale as we managed to equalise twice. I scored our first goal, so I’m quite pleased with my own performance.”

Patrice Evra has claimed he would relish the prospect of coming up against Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi.

The Manchester United defender kept Arsenal’s Theo Walcott quiet in last night’s Champions League semi-final, first leg at Old Trafford and has backed himself to do the same with the tricky Argentinian should they meet in the final.

Evra said: “I can play against a player like Messi, I don’t fear anybody, I just play my game.

“But it’s too soon to start thinking about that. We have to play well in the second leg at Arsenal and then we can start to think about our dream.

“I watched the other semi-final and Chelsea defended very well and have given themselves a good chance at Stamford Bridge.”

Evra believes United can expect a sterner test from the Gunners in the return leg at the Emirates, but that it would be a mistake to view his duel with Walcott as being decisive.

The French full-back added: “The most important thing is the team and not me against Walcott, for example. I was not focused on that.

“Arsenal will attack more on Tuesday – I think [Robin] van Persie will be back and they need to win – but we need to go there with the aim of winning, rather than just trying to keep a clean sheet.”

Evra was disappointed United only emerged with a 1-0 victory from the first leg.

“Before the game, 1-0 looked a good result but, on the performance, I think 1-0 is not enough because we created a lot of chances – maybe four or five – and scored only one of them, so I’m disappointed about that,” said Evra.

“We played well and Arsenal could do nothing against us. Now we need to do the same at the Emirates and we can get to the final.

“The performance was good but I think it’s still 50-50.

“Congratulations to (Gunners goalkeeper) Manuel Almunia because, if he was not there, we could have won 4-0. Let’s hope he doesn’t have the same performance in the next game.”