Terry odds-on to take the England armband

LONDON (AFP) — John Terry is the red-hot favourite to take over the England captaincy, bookmakers have said, after David Beckham quit the role in the wake of his side's disappointing World Cup campaign.

Terry, 25, who skippered Chelsea to a second straight English Premiership title last season, is so far ahead in the betting that some bookmakers have stopped taking bets on the England captaincy.

Beckham, 31, resigned as captain Sunday following England's World Cup ousting by Portugal in a quarter-final penalty shoot-out, and he struggled to control his emotions in making the announcement.

Bookmaker William Hill have closed the book on the position after 95 percent of the bets they took were placed on battling centre-half Terry, whose never-say-die attitude has made him a fan's favourite at Chelsea.

"We were finding it difficult to make a market because people ...