England manager Fabio Capello faced an awkward return to work on Monday after publicly condemning the Football Association’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 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 on Monday.
Terry, 31, was relieved of his duties last Thursday due to his criminal charge of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers 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 STG6 million ($A8.88 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 program on Italian Rai 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.”
Meanwhile Professional Footballers’ Association chief executive Gordon Taylor said the FA had to strip Terry of the captaincy in order to avoid England’s Euro 2012 campaign being overshadowed by his case.
“If the captain, who has to do main press conferences, was forever going to be put under questioning as to whether he should be captain with that charge against him, that would take away the issue from football,” Taylor said.
“It is just unfortunate the manager doesn’t seem to be on board and understand the reasons why that was done.”
Terry’s court case is not due to take place until July 9, after Euro 2012.