England captain John Terry will stand trial after the European Championship for racially abusing an opponent during a Premier League match — possibly clearing the way for him to play in the tournament. England coach Fabio Capello has previously stressed that Terry is “innocent until proven guilty,” meaning Terry could remain captain at the June 8-July 1 tournament. Chelsea defender is accused of shouting abusive comments at Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during an October match. He did not attend Wednesday's first hearing into the case, where his legal team entered a plea of not guilty. The Westminster Magistrates' Court then set a trial date of July 9. District Judge Howard Riddle had hoped the case could be heard in March, but accepted that other Chelsea players would not be able to appear as witnesses until the end of the football season. The 31-year-old Terry faces a maximum fine of 2,500 pounds ($3,940) if he becomes the first top footballer in England to be convicted of racial abuse during a game. The allegations first surfaced when footage was posted online of Terry appearing to hurl abuse at Ferdinand during Chelsea's 1-0 loss at west London rival QPR in October. Terry has said his comments were taken out of context and that he was responding to an accusation from Ferdinand.
