Soccer
Terry in England squad
2012-08-30 13:34
London - Chelsea captain John Terry was
included in the England squad announced on Thursday for next month's Soccer World
Cup qualifiers against Moldova and Ukraine despite facing disciplinary
action for racial abuse.
The defender is due at a Football
Association disciplinary hearing over charges he used a racist slur
against Queens Park Rangers' Anton Ferdinand, an allegation he denies
and was cleared of by a London court in a criminal case last month.
The
controversy prompted the FA to insist Terry be stripped of the England
captaincy before Euro 2012, while then manager Fabio Capello resigned in
protest at the decision.
Terry, who is set to undergo a fitness
test on the neck injury that prevented him from playing in Chelsea's
Premier League match with Newcastle last weekend, was selected by
current England manager Roy Hodgson for the Euros.
But he was rested, along with several other senior players, for this month's friendly win over Italy.
Meanwhile
Daniel Sturridge and Ryan Bertrand, Terry's club colleagues at European
champions Chelsea, were also included in Hodgson's latest squad, who
will be in action against Moldova next week.
The pair both featured against Italy in Bern a fortnight ago.
Sturridge
has kept his place in the absence of Manchester United striker Wayne
Rooney, out with a thigh injury, while Bertrand provides cover at both
left back and on the left side of midfield.
But Manchester United winger Ashley Young was omitted despite featuring at the Euros and starting against Italy.
United's
Michael Carrick and Tom Cleverley were included, along with Adam
Johnson, who left Premier League champions Manchester City for
Sunderland in a bid to get more match time and further his international
ambitions.
Up front, Andy Carroll and Theo Walcott were included
despite the speculation surrounding their futures at Liverpool and
Arsenal respectively.
Jack Butland, who played in the Great
Britain Olympic football team, and John Ruddy were named as back-up
goalkeepers to first-choice Joe Hart.
That meant Robert Green lost
his place as understudy from Euro 2012, completing a bad worrying hours
for the QPR shot-stopper following Brazilian Julio Cesar's arrival at
Loftus Road.
England's campaign to reach Brazil 2014 starts in Moldova on September 7 before they face Ukraine at Wembley four days later.
Squad:Goalkeepers: Jack Butland (Birmingham City), Joe Hart (Manchester City), John Ruddy (Norwich City)
Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Ashley Cole (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Joleon Lescott (Manchester City), John Terry (Chelsea), Kyle Walker (Tottenham Hotspur)
Midfielders: Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Tom Cleverley (Manchester United), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Adam Johnson (Sunderland), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Theo Walcott (Arsenal)
Forwards: Andy Carroll (Liverpool), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham Hotspur), Daniel Sturridge (Chelsea), Danny Welbeck (Manchester United)