John Terry, 2-Time England Captain, Ruled Out Of 2014 World Cup By Roy Hodgson

John Terry, the two-time England captain and current captain of Barclays Premier League leading Chelsea F.C., will not take part in England’s bid for the 2014 World Cup, Manager Roy Hodgson said earlier today.

The 33-year-old veteran has lifted numerous major trophies, but as with all current England players, the World Cup has eluded him. In his 16 year career — all with Chelsea, except for a brief loan spell to Nottingham Forest in 2000 — the often hotheaded and controversial Terry has raised three Premier League trophies and a coveted UEFA Champions League cup, as well as three FA Cups and two League Cups.

John Terry has made more that 500 appearances for Chelsea. He has been capped by England 78 times.

But in September of 2012, to protest the disciplinary action he faced from England’s Football Association over allegations that he used racial insults against an opposing player during a Premier League match, Terry announced that would no longer compete for his country.

Racial abuse is not only a breach of FA rules, it is against the law in England. But Terry was cleared of the charges in court. When the FA proceeded with disciplinary actions anyway, John Terry announced his retirement from international competition because he felt the continued FA action, “made my position with the national team untenable.”

Terry stuck by his retirement decision, focusing solely on his club. The Blues at this writing sit atop the Premier League due largely to an outstanding run of form by John Terry, which has led to calls from England fans and the press for England Manager Roy Hodgson to summon the defender out of retirement to serve his country on the pitch once again.

Terry succeeded David Beckham as England captain in 2006, but four years later he was ensnared in messy off-the-pitch scandal. Though he’s a married dad of two, John Terry was accused of an extramarital affair with Vanessa Perroncel, a lingerie model and cocktail hostess who was also the mother of a child with one of John Terry’s England teammates, Wayne Bridge.

Perroncel and Bridge had already ended their relationship by the time she entered the alleged affair with Terry.

A year later, then-England Manager Fabio Capello gave the captain’s armband back to John Terry, but the FA stripped it again a year after that, prompting Terry’s retirement.

Hodgson, however, said that England does not need John Terry to be a winning side.

“We’ve got along without him for the whole of the qualification, and quite a few friendly matches, and we’ll have to get along without him in the future,” Hodgson said. As far as I’m concerned retirement is retirement.”

England’s next match is a March 5 friendly at home against Denmark. Hodgson was clear that John Terry will not be included in the England squad for that match, or the 2014 World Cup in Brazil later this year.