Villas-Boas: Protecting his interests

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AVB: Chelsea is my priority

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas insists the club’s request to have John Terry’s trial postponed can’t be blamed for Fabio Capello’s resignation.

Villas-Boas has revealed that Chelsea had written to the district judge asking for the trial to be delayed until Terry’s footballing commitments - both at club and international level - were completed for the season.

It is not known whether this had any impact on the decision to postpone the trial until July, however, the results of the decision have been far-reaching.

The Football Association had expected the situation to be resolved before the European Championships but found themselves in a situation where Terry - who maintains he did not racially abuse Anton Ferdinand - would be able to lead England with the trial still pending.

A decision was made by the FA to relieve Terry of the captaincy, a move Capello did not agree with and that led to his resignation.

Villas-Boas insists that no blame for the situation can be laid at Chelsea’s door.

“It was a court decision in the end,” he said.

“We had our preference of course, but I am not sure if it was that preference that made an impact on the court’s decision to delay the case.

“Whatever the consequences of events that ran after, we had nothing to do with it.”

Terry has been given some time off as he recovers from a knee injury and will not take part in his side’s clash with Everton on Saturday, but the Portuguese coach insists that Terry has not been sidelined due to off-field events.

“He has a couple of days off, but that is because of his injury, not the turmoil and the media,” he said.