John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy due to his upcoming trial for racism.
There had been calls for Terry, who has pleaded not guilty to the charge of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at Loftus Road in October, to stand down as captain after the trial was set for the week beginning July 9, which comes after the end of the Euro 2012 Championships, but the FA have taken the decision out of the defender's hands.
FA chairman David Bernstein contacted all members of the 14-strong board to discuss the situation and after considering their opinions he contacted Terry on Friday morning to inform him of their decision.
The majority of board members believe Terry is no longer the right man to lead the national side with such a serious charge hanging over him going into an international competition.
"Following the decision to adjourn the court case against John Terry to July, the Football Association confirm he will not captain the England team until the allegations against him are resolved," an FA statement read.
"The FA board expected the trial to be concluded prior to the European Championship. Further to Wednesday's confirmation that the trial will not take place until after the tournament, the board has discussed the matter in detail and has collectively decided it is in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time.
"This decision has been taken due to the higher profile nature of the England captaincy, on and off the pitch, and the additional demands and requirements expected of the captain leading into and during a tournament.
"The FA board can confirm that he has not been excluded from the squad and that Fabio Capello is free to select him for the Holland fixture on 29 February and the European Championship.
"FA chairman David Bernstein has spoken to both John Terry and Fabio Capello to explain the facts to them. Fabio Capello has not been involved in the FA board discussions which reached this conclusion, but understands that the FA board has authority to make this decision.
"Fabio Capello will take the decision as to who will be made captain moving forward.
"This decision in no way infers any suggestion of guilt in relation to the charge made against John Terry."
This is the second time Terry has been stripped of the captaincy after he was removed from the position two years ago following revelations about his private life.
He was reinstated last year by manager Fabio Capello, who until now has maintained the Terry is innocent until proven guilty, but the Italian will now have to appoint a replacement for England's upcoming warm-up matches.