Euro 2012: Gary Cahill's Injury Causes More Controversy For England

By DJ Dunson | June 03 2012 9:45 PM

While world-class striker, Wayne Rooney is suspended for the first two games of group play, England must also deal with the loss of another key contributor. According to the BBC, defender Gary Cahill has been ruled out of Euro 2012 competition due to a double fracture of his jaw and Liverpool's Martin Kelly has been called up as his replacement. Cahill's jaw was fractured after Belgian winger Dries Mertens pushed Cahill into goalkeeper Joe Hart during a friendly at Wembley Stadium on Saturday.

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Gary Cahill's injury is just the latest in a series of injuries to plague the English side.

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Martens took to Twitter on Sunday, and took responsibility for the incident.

I sincerely apologize for the harm I've caused to Cahill, Martens said. When in the heat of the moment, you often don't think about the consequences.

Cahill's injury is just the latest in a series of unfortunate events to plague the English side. The Three Lions will also be without midfielders Gareth Barry, Frank Lampard, and Jack Wilshere. John Terry is currently recovering from a hamstring strain. Forward Danny Welbeck and Scott Parker are also recovering from injuries.

Further complicating matters is that the English will be playing for a manager, Roy Hodgson, who was only hired to replace Fabio Capello in early May.

Injuries aren't the only bad omens swirling around England before the European championship. Kelly's selection as Cahill's replacement has also riled up Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand, who voiced his displeasure on Twitter after being passed up by the English squad for the second time.

The 33-year old has captained the English side in 81 matches but was left off the roster for unknown football reasons by Hodgson. The English manager denied rumors that he snubbed Ferdinand to make room for Terry, who will go to trial in July for allegedly racially abusing Rio's brother, Anton Ferdinand. Meanwhile, Kelly made just 12 Premier League appearances last season while Ferdinand has experience at every major tournament England has qualified for since the 1998 World Cup.

In a group alongside a French squad that is in the midst of a 20-game winning streak, the English will be facing nearly insurmountable odds in winning Group D. England's best odds of advancing out of their group will likely depend on whether they can beat out Sweden and co-hosts for the second-place position.