FA may order Capello not to pick Terry

John Terry's England fate will be determined on Friday in summit meetings between Fabio Capello and the Football Association high command.

Capello remains determined to select captain Terry in the squad for next week's home friendlies against Spain and Sweden, with the Chelsea skipper equally adamant that he wants to play.

The England boss is sticking with his view that Terry - who vehemently denies allegations he racially abused QPR's Anton Ferdinand during a match - must be treated as innocent until or unless proven guilty, and that he should therefore be free to choose the Chelsea man.

But with Wembley chiefs increasingly concerned by the damaging headlines as a police investigation into the affair continues, Capello is set to be told whether or not he is allowed to pick the defender.

The Italian will meet with FA chairman David Bernstein, general secretary Alex Horne and Club England chief Adrian Bevington at Wembley to thrash out the official position - although a final decision may not be taken until Saturday morning.

The FA bosses will listen to Capello's views, but will also weigh up the repercussions of selecting Terry when he faces such damaging allegations, and with serious reservations over his right to be part of an England squad understood to be shared by a number of other players.

FA disciplinary chiefs have already decided to put their own inquiry on hold, pending the outcome of the Metropolitan Police investigation into the events at Loftus Road on October 23, although they received Ferdinand's two and a half page written submission on Thursday.

That seems likely to keep the issue on ice for at least seven days with neither Terry nor Ferdinand - or any of the other QPR and Chelsea players closest to the incident - having yet been interviewed, with Terry now not expected meet officers until early next week.

Ferdinand is sticking by his demand for "the truth" to be uncovered by the various probes, while Terry's position of a complete rejection of claims he called the QPR man a "f****** black c**t" has not changed.

Suggestions that a diplomatic injury might "arise" to make Terry unavailable appeared to be given short shrift as Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas said his captain will play at Blackburn on Saturday.

While Chelsea declined to field specific questions over the Loftus Road incident, citing the police investigation, Villas-Boas said: "I believe he is in the right frame of mind to play, yes.

"We always believe it to be like that. He does not look distracted to us.

"I think John has been involved on all Premeirship games. He's our captain, one of the best defenders in the world, and his talent is unquestionable. So, with the talent he is, he's always up for selection."

But FA bosses are aware that they have to come up with a final position before Capello briefs the media about his squad - due to be announced at 8pm on Sunday - on Saturday afternoon.

Terry was included in Capello's provisional squad which was placed on standby to report to the team's Hertfordhsire base on Wednesday evening.

The uncapped trio of Everton's Jack Rodwell, Chelsea striker Daniel Sturridge and and Tottenham right-back Kyle Walker are all understood to have been included, alongside Phil Jones, Danny Welbeck and Ferdinand's elder brother Rio, who is likely to replace Terry as captain if the Chelsea man is absent.