Amidst the chaos surrounding the FA's controversial decision to strip John Terry of the captain's armband, those of us watching football were treated to some terrific displays from some other Englishmen who hopefully will be representing their country in the summer.
What a pity that the Italian's weekend of scouting was overshadowed by this ongoing nuisance.
The whole situation has been handled disgracefully. John Terry shouldn't have been reinstated as England captain in the first place, but the FA have essentially found him guilty of racial abuse five months before he stands trial. And in doing this, Fabio Capello's already fading authority has taken another blow to the head.
Capello understandably doesn't like someone else doing his job, and his public show of dissatisfaction on Italian TV is another example of this horrible mismatch. Fabio and the FA should have broken up a long time ago.
More worrying perhaps, is the division within the national team. England's two most experienced central defenders aren't talking for understandable reasons, and although everyone else is sensibly keeping quiet, there are views and attitudes within the squad that will be hard to conceal when they meet prior to the Holland friendly at the end of the month.
It's a dreadful mess, but it's not as if Ferdinand and Terry's inclusion in the squad is crucial. There are plenty of suitable alternatives. Lescott and Jagielka defended admirably in the fortunate 1-0 win against the world champions Spain, while Tottenham's Michael Dawson and Ledley King were immense last night in the goalless draw at Anfield. The watching Capello must've been impressed. Other central defensive options include Chelsea's new boy Gary Cahill and United's Phil Jones and Chris Smalling.
I doubt Capello will rule Ferdinand and Terry out of his summer plans, but neither have been particularly convincing for their clubs this season. Would it really be that bad if they were omitted?
Meanwhile, three other English performances stood out for me this weekend.
Danny Welbeck has been extremely impressive over the last few weeks, demonstrating pace, strength and composure against the top sides; something that Daniel Sturridge has struggled to do. Welbeck must be challenging Darren Bent for a starting place.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has rapidly cemented his place in Wenger's side, proving in a handful of starts to be more effective than the frustrating Theo Walcott. Perhaps it's too early to be talking about the 18 year old as an England starter in Poland/Ukraine, but his maturity at such a young age is very promising. Capello's wildcard?
Scott Parker is certain to play an important role for England in the summer, whether as captain or not we shall see; I suspect not. But he performs tirelessly for Spurs every single week, and the England manager will want him wrapped in cotton wool until June.
These top performances certainly bode well for England supporters, but unfortunately the off the field headlines are obscuring our view of what's happening on the pitch. If you can see past the fog, a fairly decent England team is emerging.
