A person familiar with the situation says John Terry has been removed as England captain while awaiting trial for racist abuse.

The person says Terry was informed of the decision on Friday morning. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the announcement had not yet been made by The Football Association.

The Chelsea defender denies making racist comments to Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match in October.
A London court decided Wednesday to delay Terry's trial until July _ after the European Championship.

It's the second time Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy.

He lost the armband before the 2010 World Cup over allegations he had an affair with the former girlfriend of an England teammate. Terry was reinstated as captain last March.

Earlier, the Daily Mail reported on its website that English Football Association chairman David Bernstein had called Terry shortly before 10am (1000 GMT) to inform him of the body's decision.

Bernstein had canvassed opinion amongst members of the FA board, who were understood to favour replacing Terry, who is accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.