LONDON (AP) -John Terry's chances of retaining the England captaincy amid his sex scandal were boosted Wednesday after receiving the support of an assistant to coach Fabio Capello.
Stuart Pearce became the first member of the England coaching hierarchy to throw his support behind Terry, who has been under scrutiny since it was alleged the married father of two had a relationship with England teammate Wayne Bridge's former partner.
No decision on Terry is likely to be made before the Chelsea defender meets later this week with Capello, who has been entrusted by England's governing body with making the final decision.
While criticizing the media focus on Terry, Pearce strongly defended the player's importance ahead of the World Cup, where England opens against the United States in South Africa.
``John Terry is a fantastic captain,'' said Pearce, who also coaches the under-21 team. ``On and off the pitch I think he is a selfless professional.
I'm not a big lover of witch hunts of people which I'm afraid our country tends to follow a little bit these days,'' Pearce added. ``The bottom line is John, his family and everyone concerned in the matter - it's a matter for those people and not the likes of other people who haven't got a vested interest in what goes on.''
The situation is not without precedent in international football. It emerged this week that U.S. coach Steve Sampson dropped John Harkes two months before the 1998 World Cup because the captain was having an affair with the wife of teammate Eric Wynalda.
``There's a lot of similarities between what happened to us in '98 and what's happening now,'' Wynalda told The Associated Press. ``It's an unfortunate time for England, because I know how that can affect a team firsthand. Obviously, we all know how we did in the World Cup in '98.''
Harkes was a member of the 1990 and 1994 World Cup teams and became the captain before he was dropped by Sampson in a surprise move in April 1998. He made 90 international appearances from 1987-90.
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AP Sports Writer Ronald Blum in New York contributed to this report.
