Wayne Bridge has said his position in the England squad is "untenable and potentially divisive" and he has decided to make himself unavailable for selection, ruling himself out of this summer's World Cup.
The move comes after the revelation of John Terry's affair with Bridge's former partner, Vanessa Perroncel, and leaves Fabio Capello with a potential selection crisis ahead of the tournament in South Africa. The Italian stripped Terry of the England captaincy and had hoped Bridge would remain involved. However, the Manchester City player has been left devastated by the scandal.
"I have thought long and hard about my position in the England football team in the light of the reporting and events over the last few weeks," said Bridge in the statement. "It has always been an honour to play for England. However, after careful thought I believe my position in the squad is now untenable and potentially divisive.
"Sadly therefore I feel for the sake of the team and in order to avoid what will be inevitable distractions, I have decided not to put myself forward for selection. I have today informed the management of this decision. I wish the team all the very best in South Africa."
Capello, who earlier this week spoke of his optimism that Bridge would continue to play for his country, intended to name Bridge in the squad to face Egypt next week and with Ashley Cole facing months on the sidelines with a fractured ankle, the England manager is now short of experienced options at left-back.
Aston Villa's Stephen Warnock, whose international career currently consists of six minutes as a substitute against Trinidad and Tobago in June 2008, and Everton's uncapped Leighton Baines could deputise for Cole in Bridge's absence, but the City defender's decision today means Capello may be forced to field his third-choice full-back when England kick-off their World Cup campaign against the United States on 12 June.
I'm pretty surprised to be honest... does that mean he'll come out of retirement if Terry retires? And it gives another edge to the Chelsea - City game at the weekend
