Have your say: Capello aligning himself with Terry will threaten squad harmony, claims Taylor

Capello himself came under fire from one of his predecessors for going public with criticism of Bernstein’s decision to go over his head and take away the captaincy from Terry.

But it was business as usual yesterday for the Italian who last night attended Liverpool’s Premier League match with Tottenham at Anfield.

Capello, whose contract expires after Euro 2012, will meet Bernstein later this week, for the first time since the FA announced on Friday their decision to remove the armband from Terry until the outcome of his court case in July where he will deny a charge of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

Capello told Italian TV he “absolutely” disagreed with the action but Graham Taylor, England manager from 1990-93, said he should have kept his feelings to himself.

Taylor said: “It doesn’t help the situation at all, as England go into the European Championships. I can’t see what Capello’s agenda is. All it does is disturb everything even more.

“It may be that he wants the FA to take a decision on this job. It depends really on how strongly he feels about it.

“To come out in this public fashion actually, in one respect, gives England an even bigger problem for the selection and harmony of the squad for the European Championships.”

Taylor pointed out that whoever is now chosen as England captain by Capello will know full well that the Italian would prefer to have Terry in charge.

Taylor added: “The FA apparently told Capello in private what they were going to do and why they were going to do it. He disagreed with it and it was noted. The best thing would have been for that to stay there, and not come out in such a public fashion.”

Capello made his remarks in an interview with Italian broadcaster Rai in London on Sunday.

Asked whether he was in agreement with the decision regarding Terry, Capello replied: “No, absolutely not.

“I have spoken to the chairman and I have said that in my opinion one cannot be punished until it’s official and the court – a non-sporting court, a civil court – has made a decision to decide if John Terry has done what he has been accused of.

“I thought it was right that Terry should keep the captain’s armband.”

Former FA executive director David Davies has suggested the Italian may have been in breach of his contract to speak out in such a way.

Davies said: “You have to ask what his motive is. You have to suspect he wants to prevent John Terry retiring as a player before Euro 2012 but there are wider issues.

“A contract may have been breached, there is strong leadership now at the FA from David Bernstein.”