Fowler left stunned by Ferdinand’s snub from Hodgson

England manager Roy Hodgson faced a barrage of questions when naming his squad on May 16 about whether he had snubbed Ferdinand because of concerns the centre-back would not be able to get along with John Terry, in light of Terry’s impending court case for alleged racist remarks to Ferdinand’s brother Anton at Loftus Road in October. Terry denies the charge.

When Gary Cahill was ruled out of Euro 2012 with a double fracture of his jaw on Sunday, Liverpool’s Martin Kelly was called up as his replacement.

Fowler – who played with Ferdinand for both England and Leeds United – claimed in his PaddyPower.com blog: “There’s not a chance Rio Ferdinand was left out of the England squad for ‘footballing reasons’. Not a chance. The public knows that too.

“The reason is Rio’s brother, Anton, was allegedly racially abused by John Terry.

“I’ve read that Ferdinand got in touch with Hodgson shortly after he was appointed as manager to say he was willing to play in the same England team as Terry.

“Rio was then overlooked for the Euro 2012 23-man squad for what was described as ‘purely a footballing decision’ by Hodgson.

“It’s the choice by Hodgson to replace the injured Chelsea centre-half Gary Cahill with Martin Kelly that has really caused the backlash now.

“I played with Rio Ferdinand at Leeds. He is a fantastic player who reads the game brilliantly. He started 30 Premier League games for Manchester United last season and nearly won the league. Footballing reasons?

“Rio is a quieter defender than John Terry. Terry is more dominant, and yes, England need that. Roy Hodgson doesn’t want to concede goals. I would still have taken Ferdinand. But this looks like the end of his England career.”