Latest Articles
HARRIMAN EXTENDS QPR DEAL
Post comment
QPR defender Michael Harriman has signed a new two-year contract.
KUYT CONFIRMS HAMBURG INTEREST
Post comment
Dirk Kuyt says Hamburg are interested in signing him if he leaves Liverpool this summer.
All Articles
Fabio Capello: Backed by Ruud Gullit
Ruud Gullit says Fabio Capello will not walk away from the England job over the John Terry captaincy saga.
Former Chelsea boss Gullit revealed he had spoken to Capello on Sunday and had no doubt the Italian would still be in charge at the European Championship.
Uncertainty over Capello's future arose on Sunday when he said he "completely disagreed" with the Football Association's decision to strip Terry of the England captaincy.
Asked if there was any chance of Capello quitting, Gullit, who is a good friend of the man he played under at AC Milan, said: "Not at all, not at all. He wants to do the European Championship.
"I saw him yesterday but I didn't get the feeling that he was concerned about anything.
"Capello is a guy that doesn't want people to tell him what to do.
"He just wants to go with the strongest team that he has and I think that there's a reason why he said something about it.
"That is something that the FA has to debate with Capello."
Terry was stripped of the captaincy last week while he awaits trial over allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, something he denies.
There are concerns the saga could cause a split in the England camp ahead of Euro 2012.
Gullit, who was part of the 1990s Holland side in which there were plenty of reports of infighting as well as suggestions of a racial divide, said: "Before each tournament starts, I think the English have more trouble than we had! It's a fact.
"We Dutch, we like to have an opinion, a strong opinion. We think we know everything better.
"If you say to a Dutchman, 'Go to that corner', he will ask you 'Why?'
"If there is a problem, and you don't say anything about it, it's like a cancer and it becomes bigger."
Gullit felt that the Terry saga would play into the hands of England's rivals.
Speaking ahead of the Laureus World Sports Awards, he said: "Last week, somebody told me maybe the FA's going to suspend John Terry.
"I said, 'I'm Dutchman - I hope they do!' Because I want to win the European Championship."
Terry was a youth player at Chelsea when Gullit was manager.
"I know John very well - I think he's a very good guy, a very nice guy," Gullit said.
"So I hope that everything is going to be done well."
Former Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly felt the Terry row would give his native France an advantage when they meet England at Euro 2012.
"I'm French and if you have problem in your national team and media, we'll try and take advantage of that in the summer," said Desailly, who was Terry's defensive mentor when the latter broke into the Blues side.
Desailly claimed stripping Terry of the armband was "going too far".
He added: "What is good is that Capello continues to stick behind his player because the player is a natural leader."
Desailly did hit out at the abuse Ferdinand and Patrice Evra had suffered in the wake of allegations they were racially abused by fellow players.
"When I see how Chelsea supporters have behaved towards Ferdinand, I don't understand," he said.
"The same thing for Evra when he went to play at Liverpool.
"How come you can behave like that and not be educated to be able to understand what's going on?"
England Captain First Game Euro 2012 Finals. Click here to bet.
Post Comment
