LONDON — England captain John Terry will be the first soccer player to face a court in Britain on a charge of racially abusing an opponent, the most serious step yet in a crackdown on racism in the sport.
Prosecutors made the decision to charge Terry on Wednesday after studying footage that was broadcast live around the world in October, showing Terry apparently hurling abuse at Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match.
Terry has said his comments were taken out of context and vowed to fight the charges, after prosecutors declared the defender had constituted a “racially aggravated public order offense.”
Just a day earlier, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez, a Uruguay international, received an eight-match ban and 40,000-pound ($62,000) fine from the FA for racially abusing a Manchester United player during another match in October.
Although Suarez’s abusive conduct is yet to be investigated by the police, anti-racism campaigners are hailing the twin-pronged actions as evidence that new weapons are being deployed against racism in soccer.
Racist abuse in European football is nothing new, and another wave of outrage was provoked by FIFA president Sepp Blatter last month when he downplayed the issue and suggested players involved in such spats should settle the issue with a handshake after the game.
The Associated Press
