John Terry was stripped of the England captaincy on Friday following reports of an extra-marital affair with the ex-girlfriend of international team-mate Wayne Bridge, the Football Association (FA) confirmed.
The move comes after a meeting between Terry and England's head coach, Fabio Capello, at FA headquarters at Wembley.
Capello made it clear that while Terry's conduct on the field had been exactly what he wanted when he made his decision to appoint the central defender as skipper in August 2008, recent headlines about his personal life left him with little choice other than to remove the honour from the Chelsea skipper.
"After much thought I have made the decision that it will be best for me to take the captaincy away from John Terry," said Fabio Capello.
"As a captain with the team, John Terry has displayed extremely positive behavior. However, I have to take into account other considerations and what is best for all of the England squad. What is best for all of the England team has inspired my choice and John Terry was notified first." he added.
Although Capello has not clarified whether he still intends to select Terry, Press Association Sport understands he has already confirmed Rio Ferdinand will replace the Chelsea man, with Steven Gerrard acting as his deputy.
"When I chose John Terry as captain, I also selected a vice-captain and also named a third choice," said Capello.
"There is no reason to change this decision.
"I would like to take this opportunity to thank the FA, particularly Lord David Triesman and Ian Watmore for allowing me to make this decision in my own time and in the best interest of the team."
Meanwhile Terry kept his own comments brief. However, he had little option other than to accept Capello's decision and gave a broad hint that he would continue to be involved with the national team.
"I fully respect Fabio Capello's decision," Terry said in a statement released to Press Association Sport.
"I will continue to give everything for England."
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