Roy Hodgson has stated that he hopes John Terry is cleared at his upcoming FA hearing and will be available for selection for the national team.
Hodgson Breaks Silence Over Terry FA Case
The England boss stated that he hopes John Terry is cleared by the FA and will continue to be available for England.
The England boss made the comments at a press conference in Berne ahead of the upcoming friendly clash with Italy, in contrast to previous assertions that he would not comment on the matter. Hodgson said: “I thought John did well in the Euros and I’d like to keep using him, but this is a case which is out of my hands. John understands that”, before adding, “All I can do, like many of his supporters, I suppose, is just hope he gets freed and can continue to play.”
Terry was found not guilty of a racially-aggravated public order offence by Westminster Magistrates Court last month, after claims that he had abused Q.P.R. defender Anton Ferdinand, but the FA have decided that the case will warrant a hearing under their own rules, which are considerably different to those of a magistrates court: as with Luis Suarez, a guilty verdict could be delivered on the 'balance of probabilities', which would leave serious questions over Terry's future England career.
Hodgson has already insisted that he will pick Terry if he is able to, although he has been left out of the squad for the Italy game as Hodgson looks to rest his senior players. Since the hearing is unlikely to take place until the end of next month, the former England captain should be available for both England fixtures against Moldova and Ukraine in September.
For Chelsea, however, there is good news for Terry - his appeal against his suspension following his red card in last season's Champions League semi-final has been partially upheld, which means that while he will miss the European Super Cup fixture against Atletico Madrid on August 31, the rest of his three-game suspension will be suspended for three years, leaving him free to play from the beginning of the Blues' European campaign.
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