John Terry has been stripped of England captaincy following the nasty revelations about his personal life. Manchester United centre back Rio Ferdinand has been appointed as captain with Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard acting as his deputy for the World Cup in South Africa. Ferdinand made his England debut in 1997 and has played for the country in 2002 and 2006 World Cups. Terry will continue to be an integral part of the England squad.

The meeting with England boss Fabio Capello lasted only for ten minutes during which the decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy was made. A statement from Fabio Capello read, “After much thought, I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry. As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behaviour. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad. What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice.” John Terry has also graciously accepted Capello’s decision.

The world collapsed for Terry when news about his four month fling with Wayne Bridge’s ex-girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel was made public by a British newspaper. Carlo Ancelloti has pitched his support for the Chelsea captain. On the other hand, Roberto Mancini has also spoken of the trauma Wayne Bridge had to undergo due to the scandal. The Manchester City star is believed to have coped well with the situation.

The transfer of McDonald Mariga from Parma to Inter Milan has been an interesting ride. The The 22 year old Kenyan defensive midfielder evoked a lot of interest from Italy and England. Tottenham and Manchester City were in pole position to sign the midfielder. Under their Italian boss Roberto Mancini, City moved quickly and tabled a €10 million for the player which was accepted by Parma.

Mariga had the option of signing for Italian League leaders Inter Milan but chose to come to the lucrative Barclays Premier League with Manchester City. City agreed personal terms with the player and he passed the medical at Eastlands only to have his work-permit application rejected.

After having his dream move to City blown to smithereens, he didn’t waste any time in talking to officials at Inter Milan. The move to Inter which was secondary when City were in the fray suddenly gained huge importance with the clock ticking towards the transfer deadline. With Inter having sold Mancini to their cross town rivals AC Milan, Mariga was seen as an apt replacement. Mariga signed a four and a half year contract with Jose Mourinho’s side.

Under this backdrop, his decision to choose City over Inter could have been financially motivated. That he did not choose to wait for six months at Parma to try and join City in the summer tempts one to think if he really wanted to further his career prospects in England. But Inter nonetheless are a big club and Mariga’s star will rise if he performs consistently for the Bianconeri.