It's my duty to be here says race-row Terry
Published 23:01 14/11/11 By John Cross
John Terry says it was his duty to "front up" after claiming he has "support from across the world."
Terry will lead out England at Wembley on Tuesday night, despite being under police investigation after allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
But the England captain was in defiant mood at his pre-match press conference on Monday, insisting the football community has backed him.
Terry said: "I don't want to talk about people individually. But from across the world, people and players and managers have been on the phone and been very supportive of me.
"It is about being captain and coming out and facing up to it. It is a very proud thing for me to be England captain.
"It would be the easy thing to do, to step away from it. I am here, fronting it up and dealing with it."
Terry said he never considered pulling out of the England squad, that he also wanted to play against Spain last Saturday and has been touched by the support of his international team-mates.
The Chelsea defender was an unused sub against Spain and got a mixed reception when he warmed up during the game.
He admitted he is not sure what sort of reaction he will get from the Wembley crowd at Tuesday's friendly against Sweden.
Terry, who was under FA orders not to talk about the specifics of the Ferdinand affair, said: "I wish I could have come last week and captained the side (against Spain), but the manager had his decision.
"I would have dealt with it my way. Like I am now. I've never done things any differently, and I won't do things differently in the future.
"I'm not someone to hide away. Unfortunately I can't speak, we all understand that - with the police and the FA. I can't speak about that.
"It's been nice that the players have supported me publicly and personally. Nothing's changed for me. It's been really good. Even the other night when I warmed up, I'd get a couple of jeers regardless.
"But it was nice as I warmed up down the touchline from the England fans. I was quite happy with that.
"I didn't know what to expect. But it's nice to get applauded by the fans. I've played an awful lot for England. It probably has put me at ease.
"Overall, the support has been great. Being able to play football is the main thing for me. I feel at home on the pitch."
The police investigation is ongoing and Ferdinand has been interviewed during the international break.
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