The idea that a rift between John Terry and Steven Gerrard was at the heart of England's troubled World Cup campaign was ruled out yesterday by sources close to the squad.

Claims swept the internet that the Chelsea and Liverpool skippers had fallen out in South Africa over issues surrounding their private lives.

Terry did confront Gerrard at the squad's base at the Royal Marang Hotel but it was only to clear the air over suggestions Gerrard had been angered by remarks Terry made about team morale at a controversial press conference.

Gerrard was also supposed to have told friends he thought Terry was trying to undermine him as captain so he could reestablish his own leadership role.

Gerrard said he was mystified about where the allegations of a rift had come from. He is believed to have assured Terry that if he had objected to his comments he would have gone to his room and knocked on his door to thrash things out.

Claims that a so-called Red-Blue split, a wider feud between Chelsea players and Liverpool stars, had divided the squad were also discounted.

Terry and Gerrard have always had a positive relationship and Terry is thought to have played a role in attempting to persuade Gerrard to join Chelsea when Jose Mourinho was in charge.

And Jamie Carragher, who is also widely believed to have been upset by Terry's comments and at being mentioned as one of the players who had a beer to relax after the draw with Algeria, is mates with Chelsea's Frank Lampard.

Terry and Gerrard are thought to have spoken yesterday in response to the claims and were both keen to dismiss them as without foundation.

And as the FA continue to agonise over Capello’s future, the only real explanation for England’s poor showing at the tournament remains the boot-camp regime the Italian enforced at their base.

Some new details of the players’ routine at their isolated hotel emerged yesterday, in particular that some of the younger England stars were afraid to leave their rooms in case they angered Capello.

Many of them spent four or five hours at a time cooped up alone in their rooms, watching DVDs.

Some of them complained to each other they had started getting muscle spasms because they were forced to be inert for so long, banned even from walking around the hotel.

Capello blamed the players’ poor performances in South Africa on them being tired after a long and intense Premier League and Champions League season.

But Capello’s training methods, his afternoon lock-downs and his insistence on a bland and spartan diet also helped to sap them of their energy.

The players were used to being given more freedom with their clubs and the change in their routine affected many of them adversely.

Wayne Rooney, who carried much of the weight of English expectation on his shoulders, was one of the ones who did not react well to Capello’s system.

England insiders were stunned by his listless demeanour at the team base and former Manchester United teammates who kept in touch with him by text during the tournament said it was obvious he was demoralised by the England situation.

Despite that, the FA board is moving towards giving its backing to Capello but board members will first seek assurances from the England boss that he has learned lessons from the chaos that his hard-line caused in South Africa.