POLICE IN London have requested footage from the Sky television cameras at Loftus Road for last month’s derby against Chelsea as they assess whether a full investigation should be launched into allegations that John Terry racially abused Queens Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand late in the match.
Ferdinand released a statement yesterday in which he said he had “very strong feelings” on the issue and was confident the English Football Association would undertake a “very thorough inquiry”.
The FA’s disciplinary and governance unit has received the QPR player’s written testimony and is awaiting a similar response from Terry, who is with Chelsea in Belgium on Champions League duty, in the hope a decision can be delivered in the next five or six days.
That investigation is being conducted independently of the police’s inquiries, which were prompted by a member of the public emailing a complaint to the London Metropolitan police in response to Terry’s alleged behaviour.
The Met subsequently handed the issue to its officers at Hammersmith and Fulham, who are to scrutinise the footage collected by around 20 cameras dotted around the ground before determining whether they should launch an investigation into the allegations.
They are expected to interview the players concerned only if their initial assessment prompts a formal inquiry.
Terry denies racially abusing Ferdinand in the 85th minute of QPR’s 1-0 victory and claims he had shouted the offensive words because he believed he had been accused of making a racist remark and wanted to deny saying anything of the sort.
QPR defender Anton Ferdinand yesterday revealed he had “very strong feelings” following his clash with England captain John Terry that has led to a Football Association racism investigation.
In his first public statement on the incident, Ferdinand also said he was sure the FA would carry out a “very thorough inquiry” into the matter.
Terry has denied racially abusing Ferdinand during QPR’s clash with Chelsea at Loftus Road on October 23rd.
Should Terry be found guilty, his position as England captain could once again be put in jeopardy.
The 30-year-old lost the skipper’s armband in February 2010 after allegations emerged that he had had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of former team-mate Wayne Bridge.
Fabio Capello chose to reinstate Terry as skipper 13 months later, but he will face huge pressure to take the role off Terry again if he is found guilty of the allegations.
Chelsea, for their part, have given Terry their staunch backing during the saga, with manager Andre Villas-Boas making constant calls for his captain not to be judged before the FA investigation is complete.
QPR, meanwhile, have given their support to Ferdinand, who put in a solid display at White Hart Lane in last Sunday’s game against Tottenham Hotspur despite seeing his side concede three times in defeat.
