No Football Association regrets over Terry

Football Association board member Heather Rabbatts has insisted she stands by the decision to strip John Terry of the England captaincy. Terry lost the armband at the start of February when the FA decided that he should not lead the national team at Euro 2012 with allegations of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand still to be resolved. The Chelsea defender denies the charge and will stand trial on 9th July, after the tournament in Poland and Ukraine. The FA's decision met with a mixed response, with critics suggesting Terry should not have been punished as he remains innocent until proven guilty. Fabio Capello made it clear that he did not agree and stood down following talks with the FA, leaving England without a permanent manager or captain just months before Euro 2012. Rabbatts was involved in making the decision, having been appointed as one of two independent non-executive directors on the FA board - businessman Roger Devlin is the other. Leadership Rabbatts, who is mixed race and has a Jamaican mother, argued that Terry's position was untenable and has no regrets about the conclusion reached by FA chairman David Bernstein. "It is not rocket science, given who I am, that this was an issue that I would feel strongly about," she told the Daily Telegraph. "The principle of innocent until proven guilty is absolutely paramount. But in other walks of life, if an employee who carries additional reputational responsibilities is subject to charges, they are suspended. "Given the FA's policies and priorities, and given the reputation that the England captain absolutely has to stand by, it was not appropriate for him to be captain. "I think the board and in particular the chairman showed leadership. It is a decision the board can stand by." DNA The FA's focus has now turned to finding a successor to Capello, with Stuart Pearce taking charge for the friendly against Holland on an interim basis and Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp the favourite to land the role permanently. Another foreign manager has not been ruled out, but Rabbatts is adamant that if the new man is not English, he must at least have an understanding of the English game. "It is preferable [to have an English manager] though we don't rule out someone who isn't," she explained. "But it is important that it is someone who understands the English DNA of the game. Each country has its own culture. "We have ours, and it's a massive part of this country's psyche, so you do have to get it."