The English national soccer football team yet again finds itself embroiled in drama right before a major tournament. And yet again, defender John Terry is the alleged cause.
The Incident
On October 23, 2011, Queens Park Rangers (QPR) and Chelsea met in what was supposed to be a regular league match. Near the end of the match, Chelsea’s Terry is called for a foul and gets into an argument with QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. They go off in separate directions after teammates separate them. Terry then allegedly calls Ferdinand a “f*cking black c*nt.”
Terry claims that it was all a misunderstanding which was blown out of proportion. He released a statement in which he admitted saying the racial slur, but only because he was telling Ferdinand that he never used that term. According to Terry, he and Ferdinand talked about the alleged incident after the game in the Chelsea locker room and parted on good terms. Several Chelsea players and their coach, André Villas-Boas, were in the room during the conversation.
Ferdinand’s only public comments about the alleged incident are that he has “strong feelings” about it. According to reports, he had no idea that anything was wrong and had no idea what Terry was talking about until he saw footage of the incident after the game.
The Charges
Under English law, verbal racial abuse is a crime punishable by a £2,500 fine. A member of the public filed a complaint with the Metropolitan police 24 hours after the match. The Crown Prosecutors, after receiving the case from the Metropolitan police, filed criminal charges against Terry. Because many witnesses would not be able to testify because of the soccer season and Euro 2012 tournament, his trial is set to begin on July 9, 2012, eight days after the Euro 2012 tournament final.
The English soccer governing body, the Football Association (FA), is also conducting an investigation even though Ferdinand has not filed a formal complaint. However, the FA announced that it will not rule on the matter until law enforcement resolves it first.
Aftermath
The FA recently stripped Terry of the England captaincy but is allowing him to be called up for the national team. This is the second time Terry has been stripped of the captaincy; before the 2008 World Cup, he lost the position following allegations that he had an affair with former teammate and friend Wayne Bridge’s then-girlfriend, Vanessa Perroncel.
Anti-racism campaigners in particular have warned that Terry’s inclusion in the England Euro 2012 team may cause a “toxic environment.” This comes after reports that a group of players were unhappy that Terry was still captain during England’s friendly matches against Sweden and Spain in late 2011; when asked on his behalf whether they had a problem with his being called up and his captaincy, one player reportedly said “f*cking right there’s a problem.” Additionally, several black players were said to have told the footballer’s union of their concerns regarding Terry’s being on the team, especially given how in 2000, Lee Bowyer and Jonathan Woodgate were omitted from the national team after being charged with racially aggravated assault.
The FA’s decision has been controversial but has pleased no one. Terry is said to be devastated by the decision; sources close to him claim that he is considering retirement from international duty. England coach Fabio Capello, meanwhile, disagrees “absolutely” and has backed Terry to remain on the England team; he is said to be furious that the FA did not consult with him about the decision. Villas-Boas, too, has publicly supported the Chelsea captain, arguing that Terry is innocent until proven guilty.
On the other hand, Rio Ferdinand, a Manchester United defender, Terry’s England teammate and Anton Ferdinand’s older brother, tweeted that “I feel insulted…woke up with a bad taste in my mouth…it’s a f*cking joke!” His relationship with Terry was already fraught after Capello’s decision to take the captaincy from Ferdinand and give it to Terry back in March 2011; Capello announced his decision to the media before telling Ferdinand. According to rumors, the England coach reportedly will omit Ferdinand from the team, citing his constant injuries, in order to prevent any awkwardness.
Rio Ferdinand’s frustrations are not only professional, but also personal. Despite his silence on the matter, Anton Ferdinand has been subject to racial abuse since the incident; he recently received a bullet in the mail. Rio Ferdinand revealed his frustration on his brother’s treatment after the incident:
“For my family, yes, it has been tough. At the end of the day, my brother has not brought any accusations to anyone. He is not the accused. But he has had to sit there and take abuse from some small-minded people, which has been very disappointing…
I don’t know, man, it’s a hard one. I felt like I’ve almost like been fooled a little bit over the years because you look back to the days when [former Liverpool and England player] John Barnes and all the guys who were before had to deal with – bananas on the pitch, etc. it, and I’ve always been someone who championed our country for making great strides …and I thought that era was gone. And it seems like it was put to one side for a moment and it seems to come out a little more prominent…. But there still appears to be great strides to be made.”
Photo via Andrea Sartorati’s flickr
