[Archive 2012-07-14] Chelsea F.C. captain John Terry cleared of racial abuse charge

Historical archive — originally published 2012-07-14. This report records what was known on that date. It is not current news; subsequent events may have changed the situation. Wikinews closed in May 2026.

In England, John Terry, captain of the Chelsea football team, has been found not guilty of a racially aggravated public order offence. Terry had been accused of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers (QPR) defender Anton Ferdinand, another football player, as a match between Chelsea and QPR was in progress.

Terry, who had said he was "angry and upset" about the allegations, was alleged to have said the words "fucking black cunt" in an insulting manner to Ferdinand. During the trial at Westminster Magistrates' Court, Terry stated he had been repeating words Ferdinand had accused him of saying.

Although Terry refused to make any comment as he departed from the court, some Chelsea F.C. supporters cheered him. Both of Ferdinand's parents also refused to comment, with his father Julian saying only: "I have nothing to say to you at all." As the verdict was declared, there was cheering in the court's public gallery.

A spokesperson for the Football Association (FA) said the association "notes the decision in the John Terry case and will now seek to conclude its own inquiries". The FA intends to resume its inquiry into the events next week.

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