John Terry to focus on international peacekeeping work

Career News: Footballer John Terry has announced plans to retire from international football so he can focus on the real passion in his life – peacekeeping work.

The 31-year-old Chelsea centre-half made the announcement on Sunday. In a statement to the press Terry said: “I have loved my time playing for England, but those who really know me understand my biggest passion isn’t football, it is doing all I can to diffuse tensions between warring factions all over the world.”

“You may think my heroes are footballers, but the people I look up to are men like George J. Mitchell – who did so much good in Northern Ireland and the Middle East. His work as the primary architect of the Good Friday Agreement is just so inspirational to me.”

“I would like to thank John Terry for all of his efforts with the national team over the past decade,” said England manager Roy Hodgson. “I enjoyed working with John during my time as manager and from the day I saw him stop a fight in the showers over some dropped soap I knew peacekeeping was his true passion.”

“He was able to bring many locker room confrontations swiftly to an end with just one word. Usually it was the word ‘cunt’, followed by a raised fist.”

Story: Simon Swatman