Capello back after blasting Terry’s ruling

England manager Fabio Capello faced an awkward return to work yesterday after publicly condemning the FA’s decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy.

And a former FA insider warned Capello had put his own position in jeopardy ahead of this year’s European football championships in Poland and the Ukraine.

“It is being taken very seriously by the FA because it may be that Fabio Capello has breached his contract,” David Davies, who was the FA’s international director, told the BBC yesterday.

Terry, 31, was relieved of his duties on Thursday due to an ongoing court case in which he is accused of racially abusing QPR centre-back Anton Ferdinand during a match last year.

But the Chelsea defender remains available for England selection as a player.

“You have to ask what his motive is,” Davies said regarding the comments Capello, who earns a reported £6 million a year as England manager, made in his native Italy.

“You have to suspect he wants to prevent John Terry retiring as a player before Euro 2012 but there are wider issues.

“A contract may have been breached, there is strong leadership now at the FA from (chairman) David Bernstein. Last week he wasn’t slow to take things forward and he may not be slow to do so now.”

Capello was angered the FA had stripped Terry of the captaincy before his court case had been concluded and made his feelings clear on a football programme on public television on Sunday.

“I don’t agree with the decision, I spoke with the chairman (Bernstein) telling him that in my opinion Terry cannot be punished until the court’s decided – that’s the civil justice, not the sporting one – that Terry has done that which he is accused of,” Capello said.

“For that I felt it was right that Terry should keep the captain’s armband.

“However, the fact that the Board has taken this decision is their right when it comes to England.”

Former England manager Graham Taylor said Capello’s “unwise” remarks could only harm England’s Euro 2012 preparations.

“To come out in this public fashion actually, in one respect, gives England an even bigger problem for the selection and harmony of the squad for the European Championships,” Taylor told the BBC.