The John Terry Saga ⋆ An Old International

The John Terry Saga

John Terry, captain of Chelsea FC and former England captain has retired from international football, saying that his ‘position has become untenable’ after the Football Association (The FA) has begun an inquiry into his behaviour in the Anton Ferdinand case. He has been cleared of any racial abuse in court, however, doubts remain and the hearing at Wembley will have consequences for him.

A short re-cap: On October 23, 2011 in a football match between Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers John Terry was alleged to have abused Anton Ferdinand, the younger brother of Rio Ferdinand. However, the television coverage was inconclusive and thus Terry was aquitted of the charges. The FA saw it differently and banned Terry for four games to which the latter reacted by calling it a day for his England career. From a playing point of view, this made sense. The timing and the circumstances that surround his retirement leave a sour aftertaste.

John Terry, the victim?

“The FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable.”

This statement clearly shows that John Terry has not understood an iota of the verdict by Judge Howard Riddle who said that John Terry’s explanation of the incident is unlikely, yet the judge could not do more as there was not enough conclusive evidence. The court might have cleared him because of inconclusive material to prove otherwise, the FA however, act on a different basis and correctly have banned Terry for four games. This statement of him simply marks him out as the victim in this case. Which he is not, of course. He must have been fully aware of the words he uttered and the circumstances. Admittedly, during a game of football, words and gestures are being exchanged but the verdict of the FA shows that there are boundaries between what is acceptable and what should be punished. Therefore, John Terry has presented himself as unreasonable to say the least. In comparison with the 8-match-ban Luis Suarez received for a similar action, this 4 games for John Terry simply are not enough punishment.

Recomended Reading

  • http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/early-doors/john-terry-always-victim-080049171.html
  • http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/news/john-terry-retires-international-football-184455174.html
  • http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/sep/24/roy-hodgson-england-john-terry
  • http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/blogs/paul-parker/terry-retiring-footballing-reasons-114127305.html
  • http://www.tottenhamhotspurs.tv/forum/away-team-dugout/24579-john-terry-misunderstood-again.html
  • http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/13/john-terry-anton-ferdinand-racial-abuse-trial
  • http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/sep/27/john-terry-racism-ban
  • http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/sep/27/john-terry-racism-fa-ban

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