Rio Ferdinand named England captain
25th March, 2008
Manchester United centre-back Rio Ferdinand has been chosen as the captain for England when they face France on Wednesday.
It had been widely expected that John Terry, the captain under Steve McClaren, would pick up the armband after his injury left him out of England’s last game. New boss Copello had then selected Gerrard for his opening game as manager of the country, but Terry’s broken foot kept him out of the running.
There had been speculation that Beckham would be captain on his 100th outing for the nation, but the new manager has stuck to his guns and not even confirmed that he will get his century against France.
An FA statement said: "Fabio Capello has confirmed that Rio Ferdinand will captain England against France in Paris. Capello has confirmed this continues his policy of rotating the captaincy between players in the friendly matches before confirming a permanent captain for the World Cup qualifying games."
England have a fully fit squad for the game, with Rooney and Lampard joining up with the team dispite taking knocks in their Premier League encounters at the weekend. France will play without Henry and Vieira, who both withdrew with complaints. Despite the injury news, the odds are heavily in favour of France at 5/4 for a home win with Betfred, whilst England are best odds of 9/4 with Skybet.
By Chris M
