http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/15548056.stm
What do you people think.. Is FA stretching this topic too far without any reason or was it Terry's mistake which got himself involved in this serious issue?
It's not looking good at all. Don't know how long will this continue.. :S
I trust Terry, I think this issue will be resolved soon. FA and the police will have to do their job and investigate, but I doubt Terry will be in trouble.
Yes that is a matter to worry about. Terry might be in trouble.
Ferdinand has kept quiet and Terry has backings of Ivanovic so I think its ok. Hate to see him lose his captain armband though, because he is a good captain.
In a sensible world (which this clearly is not) there would never be any question that an issue such as this would be dragged through the courts. Trial by youtube? An anonymous member of the public, rumoured to be a journalist believes he sees (not hears but lip-reads) JT calling Anton Ferdinand a Black etc. The offending word here being "black". Anton Ferdinand didn't hear it, neither as far as I know, did anyone else. And yet the CPO in their wisdom, feel that there is a criminal case to answer.
If found guilty, the consequences for JT will be dire. The maximum £2,000 fine will be the least of it; his career and reputation will be in tatters - if his reputation could be any worse than it already is.
For too long know, John Terry has been the pantomime villain of choice for all too many third rate scandal mongers posing as journalists. Look at the "team bridge affair" (no pun intended). The facts of the matter are that JT was alleged to have slept with his ex-teammates ex-girlfriend, an affair which both parties deny ever occurred, and for which no proof whether circumstantial or otherwise, was ever offered. In fact, various "newspapers", including the Daily Mail, were obliged to publish apologies over these allegations, and yet to this day people will tell you that "John Terry slept with his best mate's wife".
But anyway, back to the "racist" issue. In light of the Suarez situation, a court case could actually be for the best. The burden of proof will be far more rigorous than that required by the FA, and so from that perspective, there is actually a better chance that John Terry will be found not guilty. If this (the best case scenario) does turn out to be the case, then there will be no question of the FA of other authority imposing further sanctions. JT's name will have been cleared, and that will be the end of the matter.
Let's just hope that this is how it does turn out.
As Luiz Suarez is also involved in another racism matter, i.e more than one player under the spotlight, so the Court might take a big action.
No I don't think so. The two cases are entirely unrelated. Even more than this, Suarez's case has already been dealt with by the FA and is highly unlikely to incur legal action.
Conversely, JT's case is being dealt with by the courts, and the outcome of the court case will have a direct bearing on whatever action or otherwise the FA are likely to take. If found guilty, then that'll be the end of his England career at the very least. If the case is dismissed, that'll be the end of it. No further action will be required.
Do we have a date yet for the court hearing, Hutch?
February 1st
Terry faces February 1 hearing
England and Chelsea captain John Terry will be charged with racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand, the Crown Prosecution Service have said.
The Crown Prosecution Service have confirmed their intention to prosecute Terry over remarks he made during an altercation with Ferdinand during a match at Loftus Road in October.
"I am disappointed with the decision to charge me and hope to be given the chance to clear my name as quickly as possible," said Terry on Wednesday.
Terry has denied calling Ferdinand a "black ****" during a Premier League match at Loftus Road on October 23.
But in a statement, Alison Saunders, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said she had told Scotland Yard he should be prosecuted for "a racially aggravated public order offence".
Ms Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London said: "I have today advised the Metropolitan Police Service that John Terry should be prosecuted for a racially aggravated public order offence following comments allegedly made during a Premier League football match between Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea on 23 October, 2011.
"The decision was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and after careful consideration of all the evidence I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute this case.
"Mr Terry will appear before West London Magistrates' Court on 1 February, 2012.
"He is now summonsed with a criminal offence and has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that nothing should be reported which could prejudice his trial."
Terry's future as a leading international player will be thrown into doubt by a potential trial.
He is one of the most decorated English players in the modern domestic game, having led his west London club to a string of trophies and league titles.
Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas pledged his support to the defender shortly before the CPS made its announcement.
"The only thing I know is that I will be fully supportive of John Terry, whatever the outcome," he said.
"He has my full support, he has the club's full support. We know exactly his human values and personality. They are never in doubt."
After the news that Terry would be charged broke the club issued a statement which read: "Chelsea Football Club today received notification that the Crown Prosecution Service has charged John Terry with a racially aggravated public order offence.
"John has made it clear he denies the charge and is determined to do all he can to prove his innocence.
"Chelsea FC has always been fully supportive of John in this matter and will continue to be so.
"The club finds all forms of discrimination abhorrent and we are proud of the work we undertake campaigning on this important issue.
"Chelsea will not be commenting further on the subject while the legal process runs its course."
Videos of the alleged incident were circulated on the internet in the aftermath of the game.
Lawyers had asked police for more information regarding the incident before making their decision.
New evidence, featuring previously unseen footage from TV cameras, was handed to the CPS last week.
Terry, who has been absent from training with Chelsea in recent days after suffering an Achilles problem, has been included in the playing squad for the club's next game, a London derby against Tottenham on Thursday night.
Shortly after the allegations were made, Terry issued a statement saying: "I've seen that there's a lot of comments on the internet with regards to some video footage of me during the game.
"I'm disappointed that people have leapt to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying to Anton Ferdinand.
"I would never say such a thing, and I'm saddened that people would think so."
Campaigners have launched lengthy battles to rid football of racism, which plagued the game during the 1980s.
Last edited by Hutchinson56; 18th January 2012 at 16:44.
Link doesn't work.
Fixed it for you:
LinkAnton Ferdinand 'can cope' with John Terry rematch
Danny Gabbidon has revealed Anton Ferdinand can't wait to face *Chelsea in 10 days' time and says his Queens Park Rangers team-mate will handle his showdown with John Terry.
Rangers beat MK Dons 1-0 in last night's FA Cup replay to set up a potentially fiery clash against the Blues with Terry set to return to Loftus Road for the first time since he was accused of racially abusing Ferdinand.
The fourth-round tie on January 28 comes just four days before Terry will appear at West London Magistrates Court over the alleged incident during the League meeting between the clubs in October.
Terry denies the allegations but is bound to face a hostile reception from the home fans should Andre Villas-Boas select him.
Ferdinand has been subjected to death threats since the race row flared up but will not hesitate to make himself available for the tie.
Although Gabbidon knows intense interest in the game will make it hard for Ferdinand, he believes his fellow centre-half will rise to the challenge.
Gabbidon said: "Of course he will want to play. He loves his football and wants to play in every game. He will want to go out and show what he can do. When he played against them the last time he was one of the best players on the pitch as we beat them 1-0 and he will want to show that again.
"There is going to be a lot of talk about what happened leading up to the game and it is maybe going to be a little more difficult for him than the rest of us.
"It will be different for Anton because he is the one involved in it but, hopefully, he will have his head on his game and perform well. He has the character to do that and is an experienced player.
"It can be tough at times when everyone is talking about it and your family is getting threats from people. It's not nice but he is a very level-headed guy and will want to let his football do the talking."
Gabbidon confirmed the furore over the case did initially affect the former West Ham defender's form.
He said: "When it first happened, the first few games after that he wasn't himself but he realises now he's come back and he will want to put in a good performance.
"We didn't talk about it too much [after it happened]. Everyone knows what went on and we were all a bit shocked by it. You try to get on with things as quickly as possible and you don't want to keep bringing it up too much to him. We were all upset for him but we tried to move on quickly."
Gabbidon, whose first goal for seven years was enough to beat the MK Dons, insists QPR's match against Wigan in the Premier League on Saturday is more of a priority than winning against their west London rivals. He said: "I don't really want to think about Chelsea too much because we have a massive game against Wigan first."
Meanwhile, Mark Hughes is not sure Alex will complete a £3.5million move despite holding talks with the Chelsea defender. The Rangers boss said: "It's a big decision for him and things have to fall into place to get these kind of players over the line."
Last edited by Hutchinson56; 18th January 2012 at 16:44.
It's official. You're a star! I've just been farting about copying and pasting, and I come back to put it in and find you've done it. Thank you Hutch you're brilliant!
So.. do you think JT should be selected for the game against QPR? Would it be more tactful to give him a week off, or would it be ducking the issue? What do people think?
Play him, heck you already have a player on your team in your opponents head, why would you not take advantage of this and play him.... Not to mention qpr has Alex now, which really doesnt do them a whole lot, but I would definatly start JT.
Yes, that is one point of view. I wonder what others think. Does anyone think he should be rested to avoid further potential confrontation before the trial?
I mean if you did rest him, would you give Cahill his first start? I guess it's just me but I would see you sitting JT as allowing this situation to get the better of your team... I mean this would be you changing AVB's coaching scheme to compensate for these accusations... unless he truly needed the rest that of course..
This is my opinion obviously, but I coach a high school I used to play soccer for, and we have a ruff conference since we are a coastal school, which generally pulls more soccer talent than American football talent, but I constantly have conflicts especially when we get in conference tournaments... My philosophy when I played was never play scared, and I carried that over to coaching... This always makes my decisions easier, play the best avalible players who have earned thier starting roles, and never let another teams trash talk or intimidation tactics get in the way of that... Now if this is obviously getting in my players head, or my team doesn't match up well, obviously you have to make changes accordingly... Man I wish I could bring that team to England to a real football experience.... It's hard to have high assperations about "soccer" as we call it over here, when the high paying sports are NFL,MLB,and NBA...
Yes, I agree with you. I think he should play because otherwise we lay oursleves open to accusations of being "chicken" but I was interested in hearing what other people thought. Obviously they don;t! Thanks for answering so fully. It makes for a much more interesting forum when people exchange opinions.
rumor mill is saying that QPR has suggested adding extra police for the Chelsea game in anticipation of the tension that is going to be present in the match because of the JT court hearing...who knows maybe this could effect JT in a negative way, maybe there is a benefit for sitting JT for that game.... i don't think it is a "being a chicken" issue as much as it is not letting another team get in the way of you playing the best man for he job...would like to here from someone on why benching him would be a benefit, cause other than not getting him into more trouble, i just dont see one.
Im sure JT will start. If he doesn't it can only get worse.
Then again, would Ferdinand start for QPR?
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