John Terry's future with England may depend on Wayne Bridges, the player whose girlfriend he stole and made pregnant. She later had an abortion.

In a dignified statement, Bridges, now with Manchester City, stated he did not want to discuss the affair which has dominated the British tabloids all weekend. If he sticks to that, Terry has a chance to survive the tabloid storm.

English captain Terry showed his on-field brilliance when he scored the winner against Burnley in an 2-1 away win for his club Chelsea.

But insiders at the Football Association are saying there is no way that Bridges and Terry can both be in the English squad for the World Cup, and that the inevitable focus away from football would deeply damage the team.

But can Fabio Capello afford to leave out "Captain Fantastic" when the rubber hits the road and the squad has to be chosen?

The guess here is that he will omit Bridges altogether, that Terry is simply too important to the team -- but that he will drop him as captain.

That might satisfy everyone concerned -- except Bridges, of course, but in the real world of World Cup success that may be the inevitable outcome.