John Terry has been advised to stay silent on the sex scandal that has rocked his career ahead of a crunch meeting with England manager Fabio Capello this week.
John Terry has been advised to stay silent on the sex scandal that has rocked his career ahead of a crunch meeting with England manager Fabio Capello this week.
ADVERTISEMENT
The 29-year-old Chelsea defender will learn by Friday if he will lose the England captain's armband following revelations that he cheated on his wife with Vanessa Perroncel - the girlfriend of England and former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge.
The story has led to claims that Terry had 'lost the dressing room' and was no longer fit to captain his country ahead of the 2010 World Cup.
But Terry will learn his fate from Capello before breaking his silence on the affair, which he attempted to cover up last week with a 'super injunction'.
He will also as look to release a joint statement with his wife Toni, who flew out to Dubai yesterday with the couple's twin children and her parents.
Terry has appointed Phil Hall, a former News of the World editor who now has a reputation for PR crisis management after representing the likes of Heather Mills and controversial banker Fred Goodwin, to advise him on what to do next.
Hall told Goal.com UK: "John and Toni regard this as a private matter - as and when they want to say something they will make a statement. The most important thing in their lives is their two children and they are eager to protect them as much as possible."
It is understood that both Hall and Capello's right-hand man Franco Baldini have told Terry not to say anything until he has spoken to the England manager.
Following that meeting, Terry will decide whether to release a statement or even give 'his side of the story' in a newspaper interview.
Capello, who has been recovering from knee surgery in his holiday home in Switzerland, returns to England on Thursday and will make a decision before Sunday's Euro 2012 qualifying draw in Warsaw.
The draw on Sunday is likely to be overshadowed by more lurid allegations emerging about Terry's affair as Perroncel, a 28-year-old French lingerie model and actress, is currently pondering whether to sell a 'kiss and tell' interview to one of the tabloids.
Perroncel, who has hired publicist and media broker Max Clifford, has already been offered u00a3250,000, but could make twice as much with a joint newspaper and TV interview.