Former England defender Sol Campbell has suggested that there may have been a "cover-up" behind Rio Ferdinand's omission from the country's Euro 2012 squad.
Ferdinand's representatives recently accused manager Roy Hodgson and the FA of a "total lack of respect" for choosing youngster Martin Kelly ahead of the experienced centre-back following Gary Cahill's jaw injury.
Campbell, who won 73 caps for England, has claimed that it is improbable that Ferdinand has been left out for "footballing reasons" as originally explained.
"The further this saga drags on the more it does not make sense and the more it undermines Roy Hodgson and the Football Association as a whole," he wrote in The Guardian.
"We have now reached a point where big questions have to be asked over Rio Ferdinand's exclusion from England's squad for Euro 2012, such as what are the real reasons, and why? And, is there a cover-up?
"What we can say for sure is that this entire situation goes back to what did or did not happen between John Terry and Anton Ferdinand last season.
"That is the only logical conclusion that can be drawn and I for one never bought the argument that Rio had been left out of the original squad for 'footballing reasons.'"
The England squad arrived at their base in Krakow on Wednesday ahead of Monday's Group D opener against France.
Jack Prescott
