John Terry is not considering England retirement

Terry made his England debut against Serbia and Montenegro in 2003

John Terry will not retire from international football despite losing the England captaincy, BBC Sport understands.

The Football Association informed the Chelsea defender, 31, he was losing the armband on Friday.

Terry is due to stand trial in July over racial abuse allegations after an incident with QPR's Anton Ferdinand.

But sources close to Terry have told the BBC he is not considering his international future.

England coach Fabio Capello has revealed his disappointment at the decision to remove Terry from his role ahead of the European Championships in the summer.

Terry maintains his innocence over the allegations regarding the incident during Chelsea's 1-0 defeat at Loftus Road in October.

It is the second time Terry has had the position taken from him.

Two years ago he suffered the same fate following allegations he had an affair with an England team-mate's ex-girlfriend.

At the time he claimed he "fully respected" Capello's decision and would "continue to give everything for England".

He subsequently played all four of England's matches at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and was then reinstated as England captain in March last year due to Capello's concerns about Rio Ferdinand's fitness.

After returning to Terry 11 months ago, Capello said: "John, when he played without the armband, was everytime a leader on the pitch, a leader in the dressing room.

"Always he is the same. He is a player that is himself a leader. This is really important. He is the biggest personality in the dressing room."

Terry, who was first appointed captain by Steve McClaren in 2006, has won 72 England caps.

Euro 2012 would be his fourth major tournament with the international team.