Terry stripped of captaincy

John Terry is no longer the captain of the England national team.  After his alleged affair(s) and off the field issues, the decision by England manager Fabio Capello is hardly a surprise.

Capello made the right call by taking the armband from Terry.  Although Terry might be a great leader on the pitch, his actions have clearly had an extremely negative impact on England and you can’t have someone like that leading your country, especially going into the World Cup.

Rio Ferdinand is the captain of the squad now and Steven Gerrard is the new vice-captain.

Crazy U.S. news

Well John Terry, your antics may be bold, but the U.S. soccer team did it first.  Apparently, in 1998, long-time captain John Harkes was having an affair with teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife (none of this abortion money stuff though).  Harkes was dropped from the squad because of “leadership issues” just before the World Cup where the team went on to finish dead last.  The last place finish post-captain affair cannot be comforting news to England fans.  However, this is the U.S. we’re talking about – not exactly a soccer powerhouse in 1998.  It does sully my opinion of Harkes though, who I always thought of as a stand-up guy that got screwed by his coach (apparently I had the screwing part mixed up).

In other, much scarier news, DaMarcus Beasley’s car was firebombed in front of his house in Glasgow, Scotland.  The police have said it was “willful fireraising” and are investigating.  Luckily, no one was injured in the incident.

Terry doesn’t deserve England captaincy

So, essentially John Terry is England’s version of Tiger Woods, only Terry’s story is slightly dirtier.  Golf is an individual sport, so Tiger’s action essentially only hurt himself (and his family of course).  Terry’s alleged affair with a teammate’s girlfriend, abortion payment and other dalliances hurt both Terry and his wife and kids, as well as the English national team and Chelsea. 

It’s a World Cup year and as always, English hopes are high.  This year, the squad has a legitimate chance at the trophy after sailing through qualification.  Terry’s antics threaten to undermine all the work the team has done and the hope the country has. The cheated teammate, Wayne Bridge, is at best, a fringe player on the national team, however Terry is a shoo-in despite his issues and I highly doubt Fabio Capello will put them both on the squad after this fiasco (salt in the wound for Bridge, I’m sure).  In addition to being a quality player on the field, a captain needs to be a good leader off the field as well.  Especially in a soccer-mad country like England, the captain is held to a higher standard.  English fans (and I’m sure the squad itself) are cringing at the waves this is causing when all the focus should just be on the football.

Granted, Terry’s sordid affair (I’ve always wanted to write that) would be big news whenever it broke, but the timing is especially bad.  Capello needs to make a move to strip Terry of the captaincy and give it to someone who takes pride in representing the country and takes the responsibililty of the job seriously.

Wayne Bridge is to be commended for how he has handled the situation publicly.  He made one statement asking for privacy and that’s it.  Other celebrities take note: you don’t always have to air your case in the court of public opinion.  It’s better to keep things as private as possible.

CAF decison to ban Togo is shameful

As you likely know, the Togo national soccer team left the African Cup of Nations after an attack on their team bus killed three.  The Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to suspend the team from competing in the next two African Cup competitions and fine them $50,000.

The reasoning given was that the Togolese government told the team to come home and the “decision taken by the political authorities is infringing CAF and CAN (African Nations Cup) regulations.”

While this may technically be true, it’s shameful that CAF made this decision.  Common sense and decency must come into play when making decisions like this.  Who does it benefit to ban Togo?  No one.  This was a horrible attack that no one deserves to be punished for.  FIFA must take action to overturn this ridiculous ban.

Donovan fitting in at Everton

Landon Donovan is showing that he is capable of playing at a high level in a league other than MLS. In today’s game against Sunderland, Landy notched his first goal for Everton in a 2-0 win. The U.S. midfielder has started all four games he has played since joining Everton on January 2.

After a couple failed loans in the Bundesliga, Donovan has finally found a place overseas he can fit in. He’s been a dynamic presence for the team that was struggling before his arrival. I’m not saying Donovan is the reason that Everton has won three of four, but he’s a quick, motivated player that’s eager to excel on a big club stage. In addition, playing for Everton is only going to help Donovan come World Cup time. He’ll be used to going up against and taking on world-class players on a regular basis.

There have been rumblings that Donovan’s two and a half month loan might be extended due to his excellent start, but as of right now, there’s nothing substantial to report.