Share

Prosecutors ponder Terry's fate

London - British prosecutors have received a police file on Chelsea and England football captain John Terry regarding claims he racially abused Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.

Now the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will consider if there is enough evidence to bring charges against the 30-year-old Terry.

"We can confirm that we have a file on John Terry and it is under consideration," a CPS spokesman told AFP on Thursday.

"We can't give a date or time when this decision (to prosecute or not) will be made."

The CPS announcement came just days after Terry was interviewed under caution by London's Metropolitan Police.

Terry has denied making the alleged comments to Ferdinand in a stormy English Premier League match between the rival west London clubs at Rangers' Loftus Road ground on October 23.

Shortly after the allegations surfaced, 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."

The claims against Terry emerged after video footage circulated on the Internet appearing to show the England star using racist language.

Terry denied abusing Ferdinand, claiming that footage had caught him asking Ferdinand if he mistakenly believed he had racially abused him.

"I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively that I never used that," Terry said.

Terry had also insisted that he regarded the incident closed after he had spoken to Ferdinand in the dressing room following the game.

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
How much would you be prepared to pay for a ticket to watch the Springboks play against the All Blacks at Ellis Park or Cape Town Stadium this year?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
R0 - R200
33% - 1800 votes
R200 - R500
32% - 1761 votes
R500 - R800
19% - 1065 votes
R800 - R1500
8% - 449 votes
R1500 - R2500
3% - 184 votes
I'd pay anything! It's the Boks v All Blacks!
4% - 247 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE