John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy, the English FA said Friday. The 31-year-old Chelsea center back is awaiting trial after pleading not guilty Wednesday to a charge of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match at Loftus Road in October. The trial date has been set for July 9 – eight days after the end of the Euro 2012 championship. “Following the decision to adjourn the court case against John Terry to July, The Football Association confirm he will not captain the England team until the allegations against him are resolved,” the FA said in a statement on its website (www.thefa.com). “The FA Board expected the trial to be concluded prior to the European Championship. “Further to Wednesday's confirmation that the trial will not take place until after the tournament, the board has discussed the matter in detail and has collectively decided it is in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time. “This decision has been taken due to the higher profile nature of the England captaincy, on and off the pitch, and the additional demands and requirements expected of the captain leading into and during a tournament.” The FA confirmed he had not been excluded from the squad and that manager Fabio Capello can select him for the friendly against the Netherlands at Wembley on Feb. 29 and for the European Championship itself. FA Chairman David Bernstein spoke to both Terry and Capello to explain the facts to them, the FA said. It is the second time that Terry has been stripped of the captaincy of the national team in two years. He has played for England 67 times, 34 of them as captain and scored six goals. He was first relieved of the armband by England manager Capello in February 2010 following allegations of an extra-marital affair, and re-instated as captain last year. The Italian has so far stood by his skipper, maintaining that Terry is innocent until proven guilty and that he should be free to select him as he wishes. Liverpool's Steven Gerrard has emerged as favorite to take over as captain with Terry's Chelsea teammate Frank Lampard and Anton's brother Rio. Novara loses Novara coach Emiliano Mondonico's return to Serie A proved disappointing as he witnessed his new team lose 2-1 to Chievo Verona Thursday and look even more certain of relegation. Sergio Pellissier grabbed his 100th goal for Chievo shortly after the half-hour mark and it looked all over when Cyril Thereau doubled its lead 12 minutes from time. But Giuseppe Mascara pulled one back less than a minute later to set up a nervy finish. Mondonico, who had not coached in the top division since being fired by Fiorentina seven years ago, replaced Attilio Tesser Monday in the 12th coaching change in Serie A this season. Novara remains bottom of the standings, seven points below Siena, which has a game in hand.
