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I doubt if even Terry would make that kind of ultimatum. All i know is that if I was Ferdinand I wouldn't play alongside Terry. The FA was stupid postponing the trial till after the Euros. Surely it would've been better for the stability of the squad had a verdict been reached before the tournament. As it is there's this constant doubt and controversy hanging over things.
Personally I think the FA should've suspended Terry until the result of the trial (as would've happened in plenty of other areas of work.) But they didn't, so all the pressure of making that decision has fallen on the manager who can really only cite footballing reasons. So I do feel sorry for Hodgson. If he'd dropped Terry (without FA backing) he'd be condemned as judging him guilty before the trial. If he took both, the media would be all about rifts in the camp. So leaving out Ferdinand seems like the best of a very bad set of options available to him. Of course, if he had taken Ferdinand instead, we'd at least be sure that Terry would turn up, in full kit, regardless.
Terry's a good player but the sooner he's not an option for the England team, the better. He's just too much trouble. And even without Ferdinand there, I wonder just how many of the remaining squad (black or white) have their own issues about playing alongside him.
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Further to the Ferdinand/Terry issue, fears about racist abuse in Ukraine has prompted some players (most notably Balotelli) to say they'll walk off the pitch if they're racially abused during a game. Platini has said any player who does walk off will be automatically booked. It could all get really interesting.
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