FA investigate Terry racism claim
ENGLAND and Chelsea captain John Terry last night vowed to clear his name after being placed under investigation by the Football Association over allegations he racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
The FA announced they would begin to make enquiries after receiving a complaint about the alleged incident (right) in Sunday’s west London derby between the teams.
QPR released a statement in which chairman Tony Fernandes condemned racism and promised to support any of their players subjected to it, although the club declined to clarify if they or Ferdinand had made the complaint.
Terry, who has emphatically denied the allegations since they surfaced hours after Sunday’s match, said: “I welcome the FA enquiry and look forward to clearing my name as soon as possible.”
The serious nature of the accusation has demanded that the FA, QPR and Ferdinand handle the matter delicately. A complaint has also been made to police, who said on Monday it was being assessed.
The FA investigation came after 48 hours of speculation over whether the matter would be pursued. Ferdinand – brother of Terry’s England colleague Rio – met with QPR officials yesterday for the first time since the game in order to discuss his next step.
Television footage from the fixture at Loftus Road, which QPR won
1-0 and in which Chelsea had two men sent off, appears to show Terry, 30, shouting the word “black” followed by a four-letter insult.
However the 71-cap England defender explained in a statement on Sunday that he had been repeating the term because he wrongly believed Ferdinand had accused him of using it. “I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him,” Terry said on Sunday. “I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term. I would never say such a thing, and I’m saddened that people would think so.”
Earlier yesterday, Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas gave his unequivocal backing to Terry’s explanation that the incident had been a misunderstanding that got out of hand, adding “for us the matter is over”.The FA said in a statement: “The FA can confirm it has received a complaint relating to an alleged incident of racist abuse in the QPR versus Chelsea fixture at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011. The FA will now begin to make enquiries into this matter.”
QPR, in their statement, said they were “aware of an alleged racist incident”.
Fernandes added: “QPR does not condone racism in any way. We will provide our players with our unequivocal support when alleged incidents like this occur.”