England coach Fabio Capello has admitted he was left with no option but to strip John Terry of the international captaincy.
Terry was replaced as international captain by Rio Ferdinand in February following a media storm surrounding his private life.
The Chelsea captain was at the centre of series of lurid newspaper stories alleging he had been involved in a relationship with the ex-girlfriend of England team-mate Wayne Bridge.
Bridge, a former Stamford Bridge team-mate of Terry, subsequently made himself unavailable for international selection ahead of the World Cup and Capello acted decisively.
"I had no other alternative," Capello told Italian newspaper La Stampa."He knows that for me values come before everything.
"I was in Italy and I had a telephone call where I was told everything that had happened.
"I thought about it and then I called John and we spoke. He is an adult and a serious person."
Capello met with Terry face-to-face to deliver the news and added:"We looked each other in the eyes.
"I told him that the captain has to be an example for everyone. I cannot let you keep the armband."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email