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Police start probe of racism claim versus Terry

Comment: 0 November 2nd, 2011 by: admin

DID John Terry really abuse Anton Ferdinand verbally?

Pieces to solve this recent dent on the veteran defender’s career are expected to slowly come into place as the police started their formal investigation on Tuesday.

The England and Chelsea captain has been accused of firing a racial slur at Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during the Blues’ 0-1 Premier League loss to QPR last Oct. 23.

Ferdinand is the younger brother of Rio Ferdinand of Manchester United and Terry’s Three Lions teammate.

The incident became talk of football town when footage of the alleged “attack’’ against the QPR player was posted on the Internet after the fixture.

After receiving complaint, the Metropolitan Police have decided it now warrants a full probe.

The police said in a statement that they were notified of the incident on October 23 and that officers from Hammersmith and Fulham are involved in the investigation.

Aside from the police, the Football Association, the governing body of football in England, are also investigating the matter seven months prior to the start of the European Championships next summer in Poland and Ukraine.

The Metropolitan Police are currently coordinating with the FA who said they are not yet issuing any comments as this would be inappropriate until the police have completed their own enquiries.

The FA has already received from Ferdinand, who is black, his account of the incident and stated he has “very strong feelings on the matter.’’

Ferdinand, 26, added he does not want to prejudice the enquiry with further statements until the probe is over. Using his Twitter account instead, he reposted messages of support and condemnation of racism.

The 30-year-old Terry has earlier claimed the alleged verbal remarks against Ferdinand have been taken out of context.

Terry regained the Three Lions captaincy from Rio Ferdinand in March after being stripped of the armband before the 2010 World Cup in South Africa when he got entangled in a sex scandal.

Terry regained the England captaincy from Ferdinand’s older brother Rio Ferdinand in March after being stripped of the armband before the 2010 World Cup over a sex scandal.

Claims Terry had an affair with the former girlfriend of England teammate Wayne Bridge are among a string of off-field transgressions that have followed the player throughout his footballing career, which has been spent entirely at Chelsea.

He was fined by the club after he and three teammates drunkenly abused American guests at a London hotel the day after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

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