EXCLUSIVE: Capello fury as captain John Terry is hit by more controversy

21 December 2009 15:39
John Terry is seriously jeopardising his dual role as the captain of England and Chelsea as senior Football Association officials are growing increasingly concerned about him and his off-field activities.[LNB]The centre back, who skippered Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at West Ham yesterday, has an estimated fortune worth £17million thanks to his £170,000-a-week salary.[LNB]Yet he started the day at the centre of further unsavoury newspaper revelations as he was exposed for organising a secret tour of Chelsea's training ground, apparently in exchange for a £10,000 cash payment that was made in the staff canteen while manager Carlo Ancelotti was dining at a nearby table. [LNB]Despite issuing a formal denial of any impropriety, it is understood that privately, Chelsea are distinctly unimpressed, while the FA have expressed concern over Terry's newspaper column deal with The Sun and suggestions that he has gone against the wishes of England manager Fabio Capello and booked his family into Sun City for the World Cup.[LNB]The latest controversy saw Terry, accompanied by well-known ticket tout Tony Bruce, tell undercover reporters from the News of the World that the arrangements for the training ground tour had to be kept secret for fear that the club would 'find out'.[LNB]'If anything ever goes wrong, then you say 'John didn't know nothing about that',' Bruce told the reporters who were secretly filming the visit.[LNB]Terry told the journalists he would be donating his share to charity and last night Chelsea issued an almost comical statement attempting to exonerate their captain, although it appears they had not been aware in advance of his 'private' tour arrangements.[LNB]But this comes after Sportsmail's recent revelations that Terry had enlisted the help of a marketing company, Riviera Entertainment Limited, to cash in on the England captain's armband, prompting one FA official to say he had made himself look 'greedy'.[LNB]'John Terry is available to create effective brand awareness and endorse products and services globally,' said the email that used the official FIFA World Cup logo without permission and, much to the surprise of Stamford Bridge officials, used an image of Terry in a Chelsea strip.[LNB] Enlarge Gaff: Terry landed himself in hot water last month when a marketing company encouraged people to use the Chelsea captain as a brand[LNB]It then reminded potentially interested parties that 'John Terry is: British sporting hero; England's football captain; World Cup 2018 ambassador; Football icon; Dad of the year 2008; Voted as one of the World's most influencial (sic) people.'[LNB]Even though Riviera claim to have a contractual agreement with him, Terry issued a statement saying the email had been circulated without his permission.[LNB]And yesterday came another denial, this time from his club. 'Chelsea FC hosts a large number of visitors at the training ground throughout the year,' said the statement. 'The majority of which are made up of club sponsors, our charity partners and supporters.[LNB] Mr England: But for how much longer?[LNB]'The players play a big part in these visits and John Terry naturally has a leading role, hosting a significant number of children and their families this season through our partner charities Help a London Child and Right to Play. John has also organised a number of visits for families with sick children as a result of personal correspondence.[LNB]        HAVE YOUR SAY...     Should John Terry continue as captain of England and Chelsea? The defender is under further intense scrutiny after revelations that he was involved in organising hush-hush tours of Chelsea's training ground. Is he the right man to play the role model and lead club and country? TELL US WHAT YOU THINK 'Contrary to media reports and the appearance of edited video this morning, the club is confident that at no time did John Terry ask for, or accept any money in relation to visits to the training ground. Chelsea gives our players room to exercise their discretion when contacted personally with regard to visits, and the club keeps security and access to the training ground and Stamford Bridge under constant review.[LNB]'However, as a result of the security breach highlighted by today's article, we will be further reviewing access to our facilities and clamping down where there are gaps in the process.'[LNB]Ancelotti also stood by his captain after his side's draw yesterday.[LNB]'This is not correct. This is not true. I think the club, me, the players, have a lot of confidence in John Terry. John Terry did nothing wrong,' he said.[LNB] Chelsea back captain Terry for 'helping to fix training ground visit for £10,000'West Ham 1 Chelsea 1: Blues get in a spot of bother as Carlo Ancelotti rues missed chancePressure on Ancelotti with Hiddink set for new year Stamford Bridge returnALL THE CHELSEA FC

Source: Daily_Mail