has refused to speak to the BBC because Garth Crooks upset him over an interview:

ENGLAND skipper John Terry is boycotting the BBC because of reporter Garth Crooks. FA chiefs wanted Terry to give a one-to-one interview with the Beeb for last Saturday's Football Focus.

But while the Chelsea captain point-blank refused to talk to Crooks, he will give Sky Sports an exclusive interview today ahead of the Euro 2008 qualifier in Macedonia. Terry's gripe with the former Spurs striker emerged after Crooks asked for an interview before last month's friendly with Greece at Old Trafford - the defender's first game as England skipper.

Terry turned down the request because he felt that had he agreed to speak to Crooks and the BBC, he would be honour-bound to give the same access to all England broadcasters. But he was infuriated when, 24 hours before the clash with Greece, Crooks ambushed him at the FA news conference by asking if he was "up to the media requirements" of leading his country.

Terry has had previous grievances with Crooks, one involving an England interview when he was suddenly quizzed over his then teammate Adrian Mutu's drugs ban, and believed the latest incident was one cheap shot too many.

When the FA urged Terry to speak to Crooks in the run-up to Saturday's win over Andorra, it was made clear there would be no interview unless the questions were asked by somebody else. Terry was happy to chat to Ray Stubbs, but with the BBC unwilling to back down, the Football Focus slot was filled by Owen Hargreaves. Efforts by the FA to mediate failed and the BBC hierarchy will be outraged when Terry gives access to Sky, the "host broadcasters" for tomorrow's game in Skopje.

A BBC source said: "It's all becoming a bit of a headache for us. We can't back down or be dictated to, but John Terry is equally firm over it. "Hopefully it can eventually be resolved but there is no sign of that happening at the moment."

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