Earlier this week Roy Hodgson declared that John Terry would be included in England's World Cup qualifying squads for the games against Moldova and Ukraine.
The reason this was even seen as news is due to The Football Association's protracted dealing of Terry's independent hearing over charges he used a racist slur against QPR's Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League game last October.
Terry, who denies the allegation, was cleared of racially abusing Ferdinand by a magistrates' court in July. Weeks later and having waited for the legal case to run it's course, The FA charged the Chelsea captain with using "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour" towards the QPR defender.
Almost a month has passed and the football fraternity is still to learn what sanctions will be bestowed upon Terry.
It is a farcical situation and only adds to the weight behind accusations that The FA are inept at dealing with the big decisions in football. They also display a complete lack of consistency in the speed in which these matters are dealt with.
Luis Suarez, the Liverpool and Uruguay striker, was banned for eight games and fined £40,000 in December of last year for "using insulting words" towards Manchester United defender, Patrice Evra. The ban and fine was delivered less than two months after the incident, which occurred on 15th October 2011.
Unlike the incident involving Terry and Ferdinand, the inquiry into the Suarez/Evra race row required intricate study of numerous camera angles to ascertain what had been said and, indeed, whether it was insulting.
Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester United defender and older brother of Anton, was charged by The FA on 30th July with improper conduct following a comment made on Twitter. Another user labelled Ashley Cole, the Chelsea and England defender, a 'choc ice' for supporting Terry in his court case.
By re-tweeting the comment, a derogatory term meaning black on the outside, white on the inside, Ferdinand was seen as endorsing the slur.
Within three weeks, Ferdinand was found guilty and fined £45,000.
Given the speed in which the latter two cases have been dealt with, serious questions need to be asked of The FA as to why it is taking them so long to deal with such a high profile case which has only served to tarnish the sport and the Premier League's reputation.
By virtue of the fact the case was subject to a legal investigation, any hearing held by The FA was always going to be delayed; but there are many who feel that The FA were too weak in allowing Terry to delay the court case until after Euro 2012.
The delay lead to Hodgson having to make an awkward selection for his Euro 2012 squad which ended up with Rio Ferdinand omitted from the squad, despite the initial reassurance that having both Terry and Ferdinand involved would not be divisive.
Last week, the situation became even more embarrassing when Hodgson openly stated that he hopes Terry is cleared of any wrongdoing as he wants him available for selection.
Although this comment was ill-advised and subsequently criticised by Lord Ouseley, chairman of anti-racism organisation Kick it Out, perhaps it shows the complications that a prolonged hearing is causing the England manager.
The inquiry involving Suarez was far more complex, not least because the insult aimed at Evra was spoken in his native tongue. The charge brought about by The FA set a precedent, but the longer they take to make a decision on the Terry/Anton Ferdinand saga, the more people will begin to wonder how equipped they are at making a stance on such a imperative issue.
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