John Terry called time on his England international career on the heels of the FA hearing about his alleged racial abuse of QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. While there is no doubt that Terry is a fine footballer and that he’ll be sorely missed by the national team, the continual occurrences of off field controversy surrounding him is surely a detriment to his career.

The Trials and Tribulations of John Terry

In the past few years this is only one of many off field incidents that have surrounded the England & Chelsea captain.  The latest of which have dragged on for going on 12 months. The current accusations of racism, adds more fuel to the fire and heightens what a controversial figure he is. The mere mention of the name sparks huge emotions from both sides of the fence, one side for those who love and support him, while the other side represents those that hate and despise him.

His talents on the field and what he brings to his England & Chelsea teams is not in any doubt. He has been a rock of stability at the heart of both defenses. With his full force battering ram style of play, John Terry is the personification of the classic English centre half, big, strong, bold, daring and fearless. On the field as captain of both Chelsea and England, Terry has shown himself to be a great leader and motivator, prepared to lay his body on the line in the name of competition and success. Off the field, however, there is a lot to be desired. His numerous controversies and poor judgement have cast a shadow over his career.

The scandals and controversy have left both club and country in embarrassing positions to where they have had to defend his selection and his captaincy. His instances of lapses in judgment and controversy include: 2006; Sent off against Tottenham in November at White Hart Lane, and accused of racially abusing Ledley King.

In 2009, he was Investigated by Chelsea and the FA for reportedly accepting a £10,000 bribe to show a reporter around the Chelsea training ground without permission. In January 2010 Terry was alleged to have had an affair with teammate and best friend Wayne Bridge’s girlfriend. The scandal swirled to where It threatened  to disrupt the England camp prior to the world cup, forcing Fabio Capello to strip Terry of the England captaincy and hand it to Rio Ferdinand to help quell the situation.

As a result of this current controversy John Terry has announced that he has ended his career as an England ­footballer, and somehow miraculously, in the process, managed to paint himself as the victim. In his statement he accuses the FA, of making his position as an international player untenable. No matter what the outcome of the current hearing and however John Terry wants to see it, for a Captain of England and Chelsea, the instances of unsavory scandal is way too high and whatever his punishment is, he only has himself to blame.