Sunday, 14th September, 2014
Former Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand admits that he does not believe John Terry is racist, though has dubbed him an "idiot" for his spat with his brother Anton Ferdinand.
Terry was alleged to have racially abused Anton Ferdinand when Chelsea met QPR in a Premier League clash in October 2011, eventually being judged to have committed the offence by the English Football Association and being handed a four-match ban.
Terry was however acquitted in a court of law, but retired from international football as a result of the affair.
And Ferdinand admits he does not view the Chelsea captain as a racist, but believes he could have saved much hassle if he had admitted to using the racially abusive phrase and explaining it was in the heat of the moment.
"For me, the biggest idiot will always be John Terry", the QPR defender wrote in his autobiography.
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"As England captain and my centre-back partner he could have saved everyone a lot of pain by admitting immediately he used the word in the heat of the moment, but was no racist.
"I think that's probably what happened and what the truth is. Anton and I would've accepted that – instead he never gave us a chance.
"That was the betrayal. He tried to run away from what he had done."
Ferdinand also revealed that as a result of the case he no longer speaks to Terry, a player he partnered in the heart of the England defence on numerous occasions.
"I've never actually spoken to John about the case. I no longer talk to him, but even three years later I find it impossible to forgive or forget the pain he put us through."
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