John Terry: time off for bad behaviour

The recently sacked England captain John Terry has been given time off by his club, Chelsea, to travel to Dubai and try to patch up his marriage. The announcement was made after Everton took advantage of rare defensive errors by Terry to beat Chelsea 2-1 last night - mistakes for which he is reported to have apologised to his teammates.

Ray Wilkins, Chelsea's assistant manager, denied that Terry's troubles following the discovery of his affair with Vanessa Perroncel had anything to do with his lapses in concentration during the game. But fans and commentators were hardly persuaded: whatever gaffes he may make in his not-so-private life, he rarely makes them on the pitch.

Terry's wife 28-year-old Toni has been in Dubai with the couple's two daughters ever since the news came out of his affair with Perroncel, former partner of his England teammate Wayne Bridge. Toni is reported to be willing to take him back "one last time", but will make it clear there will "no more chances" after this.

The Chelsea captain has more than a humiliated wife to contend with when he flies into Dubai: his in-laws, Sue and Alan Poole, are there too, and are said to be unimpressed by the way he has treated their daughter. ·