• Premier League

Di Matteo: No time off for Terry

ESPN staff
October 22, 2012
John Terry has retained the Chelsea captaincy © PA Photos
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Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo will not give John Terry a break from football following a tumultuous year for the player.

Terry, 31, sat out his side's 4-2 win over Tottenham on Saturday - the first game of his four-match ban imposed by the Football Association for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand last October.

The ban follows on from a year that has seen the defender face civil and FA charges, as well as losing the England captaincy before retiring from international football altogether.

Terry has retained the Chelsea captaincy despite the FA's sanction and looks set to lead the Blues out in their Champions League clash in Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday, with Di Matteo preferring not to give him a complete break from football altogether.

"No," Di Matteo said when asked if he had ever considered such an option. "It has been a delicate issue and we are going to continue working with the authorities to eradicate discrimination.

"The board has made the final decision [to keep Terry as captain] and we can focus just on our football while keeping in mind that we have responsibilities to keep working towards a more respectful world.''

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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