This Is Why We Needed Rio To Be Captain

Whilst many readers of RoM couldn’t give a fuck about the England football team, there was greater interest in the goings on of the national team when the issue of Fabio Capello’s captain came about. Rio Ferdinand looked favourite to be given the armband and it is of course rather nice to see the effort of one of your players recognised.

There were so many things pointing in Rio’s favour and as many things going against John Terry, yet for some bizarre reason, Terry was the man chosen to have the armband.

There was no heart ache for our fans over this, rather frustration that our player, who has proven himself at United, as well as by and large winning over our fans, had been overlooked. However, it’s on days like today you start to really wish Ferdinand had been made captain.

Surely that can be the only logical reason to explain why John Terry got away with no punishment for rugby tackling City’s Jo at the weekend. The Chelsea and England skipper was beaten by the Brazilian, so resorted to grabbing him by the waist and pulling him to the ground.

Frank Lampard initially argued that the foul couldn’t be considered ‘professional’ as there were other players to follow up the attacking player, meaning Terry wasn’t the last man. However, the referee sent him off for ‘serious foul play’ meaning that any appeal should have been turned down. If the FA had any consistency in them, they might have even added on another match to the ban for a “frivolous” appeal.

However, news broke today that Terry’s ban had been overturned. It now stands that John Terry faces NO PUNISHMENT for pulling a player to the floor.

“Apparently Rugby Tackles Are Allowed, If You’re Terry” reads the title of the article on Football365.com, which just about sums it up.

Remarkably, unbelievably and extraordinarily, the FA have rescinded John Terry’s red card, given for his rugby tackle on Man Citeh’s Jo at the weekend. This means the Chelsea captain will be available for the big game against Manchester United on Sunday. Really, is there anything they can’t get away with?

I suppose my logic is warped and I am wrong to expect the captain of club and country to be the one setting the example. Judging Terry on his past would lead me to believe those expectations on his shoulders would never be met. However, the FA should be striving to see their captain behave as a role model on the field and today they have failed to do that.

Terry has been at fault for two goals England have conceded since taking on the permanent captaincy and has hardly set the World alight whilst playing for his club. The FA clearly didn’t want people to find any further fault in Capello’s judgement, so have let Terry get away with it.

It’s at times like these I wish Rio was the England captain, because then maybe he could get away with leading our players to crowd and try and influence the ref, or drag players to the floor. As it is, he will judged like most other players in the Premiership, unfairly.

The only upside to this is that he will be on the pitch to get mocked by our fans at the weekend, but that’s a fairly slim consolation when knowing he should not be available to play against us.