Rio Ferdinand left out of England Euro 2012 team

By Andrew Warshaw

May 16 – The omission of Manchester United stalwart Rio Ferdinand was the major surprise of the England squad for the 2012 European Championship announced today by new manager Roy Hodgson.

Hodgson insisted he had left out Ferdinand (pictured above) for purely footballing reasons as he explained why he selected John Terry even though the Chelsea defender was stripped on the national team captaincy after allegedly racially abusing Ferdinand’s brother Anton.

Terry, who denies any wrongdoing, has a July court case hanging over him soon after the finals.

But Hodgson denied that leaving out Ferdinand was a deliberate attempt to avoid any tension that might have arisen in Poland and Ukraine.

“My decision with John Terry was based purely on footballing matters; I was given a free hand as to the squad I picked,” Hodgson said.

“I realised that when I selected him there would be people who would raise eyebrows but that’s the decision that I’ve made, that’s the decision I shall live with.

“I selected John Terry for footballing reasons and I left out Rio Ferdinand for footballing reasons.”

There will be many who argue that even by Hodgson’s (pictured above) criteria, Ferdinand, who has been a regular for Manchester United this season, is in fact the classier footballer of the two.

But Hodgson was clearly conscious of the fact that Terry led Chelsea to FA Cup success and helped them reach this weekend’s Champions League final, where he is suspended.

“I believe John Terry, especially in the latter part of the season, has played very well,” Hodgson insisted.

Terry, of course, played a pivotal role in getting England through qualifying under Fabio Capello and Hodgson clearly wanted to stay loyal to as many of those players picked by his predecessor as possible.

“I selected him because I think he’s the man for job,” he added.

“I’m hoping and believing that he will help us win matches.”

Steven Gerrard (pictured below) as expected was named captain while there are also places for his Liverpool team-mate Andy Carroll and the uncapped pair of Arsenal midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy.

As expected, Wayne Rooney is selected despite being suspended for the first two games of England’s Group D campaign but another surprise omission was Manchester City defender Micah Richards, particularly with Tottenham’s Kyle Walker missing out through injury.

England squad:

Goalkeepers – Joe Hart, Robert Green, John Ruddy

Defenders – Leighton Baines, Gary Cahill, Ashley Cole, Glen Johnson, Phil Jones, Joleon Lescott, John Terry

Midfielders – Gareth Barry, Stewart Downing, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard, James Milner, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Scott Parker, Theo Walcott, Ashley Young

Strikers – Andy Carroll, Jermain Defoe, Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck

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