• World Cup

Terry linked with coup attempt

Less than 24 hours after denials there was a rift in the England camp, the British media is claiming an attempt by some players, led by John Terry, to challenge the authority of coach Fabio Capello has failed.

At a morning press conference, Terry, who said he was speaking on behalf of the players, told reporters there would be a meeting in the evening to discuss the situation. "We have gone to Fabio Capello and discussed possible tactical changes in the past and we will do again if we feel it needs to be done," he said. "We shouldn't be looking at excuses or criticising the manager. I've seen a few reports myself this morning but I'm coming here on behalf of the players and there's no disharmony in the camp at all."

But reports in the newspapers claim other players were angry they had been dragged into a situation that they would have preferred to remain behind closed doors.

At the evening meeting, which was described as "positive", Capello listened to the players' concerns and agreed to address complaints about their "boredom" but refused to back down regarding challenges to his authority on team selection and tactics.

The Daily Mail said: "According to sources here, Terry has been a hugely disruptive influence. One spoke of an incident during training when Terry clashed with the fitness coach, Massimo Neri, over some shuttle runs he was being ordered to do. Terry refused, Capello intervened and told him to keep running and after one more sprint the Chelsea defender claimed his hamstring was sore and walked off the pitch. Another time Capello reprimanded him for not paying attention, screaming: 'Focus, focus!'"

The Guardian says Capello reasserted control, with a member of his coaching staff persuading Terry not to speak at the meeting. It adds that Terry "ended up in danger of being left isolated within the England camp after senior team-mates reacted with dismay to him going public with their desire for a clear-the-air meeting with the manager".

It is reported that Terry, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney had all stayed up on Friday to discuss the problems within the team, but the others were uncomfortable with the forthright nature of Sunday's press conference.

"It's not one of those things where the manager calls the shots and that's it," Terry said. "People have got this picture of him where you can't say stuff in meetings. We have a responsibility to ourselves, to the manager and everyone else to voice an opinion and hope he takes it on board."

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