John Terry has been stripped of the England captaincy after his trial for alleged racist abuse was adjourned until July.
In a statement released on Friday morning, the Football Association said Terry "will not captain the England team until the allegations against him are resolved."
Terry has been charged with using racist language towards QPR's Anton Ferdinand, and his trial date has been set for 9th July, after this summer's European Championship.
Terry denies the charge but the decision to adjourn the trial has led to the FA's latest move.
Friday's FA statement read: "The FA Board expected the trial to be concluded prior to the European Championship. Further to Wednesday’s confirmation that the trial will not take place until after the tournament, the Board has discussed the matter in detail and has collectively decided it is in the interests of all parties that John has the responsibilities of captaincy removed at this time."
FA chairman David Bernstein telephoned the Chelsea defender to inform him of the decision at around 10am on Friday morning having consulted with the 14-strong FA board. The story was widely reported before official confirmation appeared just before 12pm.
The 31-year-old centre-back is still eligible to appear for Fabio Capello's England side at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine, but speculation has mounted that he may now choose not to represent the team after this latest decision.
It is not yet clear if the FA will consider reinstating Terry as England captain should he be cleared of any wrongdoing at his trial, but the wording of the statement suggests it is a suspension rather than a permanent removal from the post.
The statement added: "Fabio Capello will take the decision as to who will be made captain moving forward.
"This decision in no way infers any suggestion of guilt in relation to the charge made against John Terry"
Terry was previously removed as captain by manager Fabio Capello in 2010, after a tabloid scandal involving former Chelsea team-mate Wayne Bridge. He was subsequently reinstated to the role.
Follow ITV Football on Twitter
Like ITV Football on Facebook