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| Anger at John Terry's lenient ban led to Kick It Out T-shirt protest | Anger at John Terry's lenient ban led to Kick It Out T-shirt protest |
| (30 days later) | |
| The motivation for players refusing to wear the Kick It Out T-shirt during the weekend's matches has been revealed for the first time, with Cyrille Regis stating that disquiet at the four-match ban given to John Terry by the Football Association caused his nephew Jason Roberts, Rio Ferdinand and others to take the stance. | The motivation for players refusing to wear the Kick It Out T-shirt during the weekend's matches has been revealed for the first time, with Cyrille Regis stating that disquiet at the four-match ban given to John Terry by the Football Association caused his nephew Jason Roberts, Rio Ferdinand and others to take the stance. |
| Regis said: "There is a feeling that John Terry has been let off lightly. You are not going to stamp out racism with laws – it is intrinsic to some people. But where it rears its ugly head the authorities have to stamp down and, if they don't do it with the right force, it gives the impression that it's OK. | Regis said: "There is a feeling that John Terry has been let off lightly. You are not going to stamp out racism with laws – it is intrinsic to some people. But where it rears its ugly head the authorities have to stamp down and, if they don't do it with the right force, it gives the impression that it's OK. |
| "Black players have been voicing their opinion for a long time but feel it hasn't been listened to. They were unhappy at the time it took for the FA to sort things out, a whole year in the John Terry case. Then Luis Suárez got eight games, while Terry got four – what is the difference? The panel's assessment was that Suárez said the word several times while John Terry only said it once? Come on, do we have zero tolerance or not?" | "Black players have been voicing their opinion for a long time but feel it hasn't been listened to. They were unhappy at the time it took for the FA to sort things out, a whole year in the John Terry case. Then Luis Suárez got eight games, while Terry got four – what is the difference? The panel's assessment was that Suárez said the word several times while John Terry only said it once? Come on, do we have zero tolerance or not?" |
| Regis believes the current generation of black players are more confident than his own. An England international whose career spanned the mid-1970s to mid-1990s, Regis said: "This is a different generation from mine. We had to put up with abuse. They are more articulate, they have more confidence and they want a clear and vehement message given." | Regis believes the current generation of black players are more confident than his own. An England international whose career spanned the mid-1970s to mid-1990s, Regis said: "This is a different generation from mine. We had to put up with abuse. They are more articulate, they have more confidence and they want a clear and vehement message given." |
| Despite receiving a record yet undisclosed fine by Chelsea, having been found guilty by the FA of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, Terry remains their captain and he leads them at Shakhtar Donesk in Tuesday evening's Champions League group game, where he is due to wear Uefa's anti-racism captain's armband. Lord Ouseley, chairman of Kick It Out, told the BBC on Monday that he was "not happy with Terry being captain", but Roberto Di Matteo, the Chelsea manager, defended the player's role. "John has realised that he used language that was inappropriate, he has apologised for that and has certainly learned from that issue," he said. "With good performances and good behaviour in the future, he should still be looked upon as the leader for our club. I've never been concerned about picking him." | Despite receiving a record yet undisclosed fine by Chelsea, having been found guilty by the FA of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand, Terry remains their captain and he leads them at Shakhtar Donesk in Tuesday evening's Champions League group game, where he is due to wear Uefa's anti-racism captain's armband. Lord Ouseley, chairman of Kick It Out, told the BBC on Monday that he was "not happy with Terry being captain", but Roberto Di Matteo, the Chelsea manager, defended the player's role. "John has realised that he used language that was inappropriate, he has apologised for that and has certainly learned from that issue," he said. "With good performances and good behaviour in the future, he should still be looked upon as the leader for our club. I've never been concerned about picking him." |
| Ferdinand is reported by the Daily Mail to be working to create a new body, distinct both from the PFA and Kick It Out, specifically to represent black and other minority footballers in the fight against racism. He has also discussed with his Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, the reasons behind his decision not to wear Kick It Out's T-shirt. The Scot had made it clear at the end of last week that he felt all players should support Kick It Out and had claimed on Saturday night that Ferdinand would be "dealt with" for his actions. | Ferdinand is reported by the Daily Mail to be working to create a new body, distinct both from the PFA and Kick It Out, specifically to represent black and other minority footballers in the fight against racism. He has also discussed with his Manchester United manager, Sir Alex Ferguson, the reasons behind his decision not to wear Kick It Out's T-shirt. The Scot had made it clear at the end of last week that he felt all players should support Kick It Out and had claimed on Saturday night that Ferdinand would be "dealt with" for his actions. |
| But before Tuesday's Champions League game with Braga Ferguson was in conciliatory mood. He said: "The issue is pretty simple. I spoke to Rio. There was a communication problem. He felt I should have spoken to him on Friday. I didn't anticipate there would be any problem in the dressing room as far as the T-shirt was concerned. My advice to him is that I always think the union is stronger than any individual and it is important he airs his grievances to the right people, through the PFA [Professional Footballers Association] or the FA. | But before Tuesday's Champions League game with Braga Ferguson was in conciliatory mood. He said: "The issue is pretty simple. I spoke to Rio. There was a communication problem. He felt I should have spoken to him on Friday. I didn't anticipate there would be any problem in the dressing room as far as the T-shirt was concerned. My advice to him is that I always think the union is stronger than any individual and it is important he airs his grievances to the right people, through the PFA [Professional Footballers Association] or the FA. |
| "It has been a communication problem rather than anything else. Obviously as the manager of the club when you lay down policy you don't want to see it being ignored and that's where my anger came on Saturday. I have listened to the conviction of Rio and I think it is quite compelling. I can understand his stance. We have resolved the problem. There's no on-going problems and we move on." | "It has been a communication problem rather than anything else. Obviously as the manager of the club when you lay down policy you don't want to see it being ignored and that's where my anger came on Saturday. I have listened to the conviction of Rio and I think it is quite compelling. I can understand his stance. We have resolved the problem. There's no on-going problems and we move on." |
| While Ferguson confirmed the episode will not harm Ferdinand's United future by suggesting he may be offered a new contract when his current deal ends in the summer, John Barnes urged the 33-year-old and other unhappy black players to aim their protest at the FA. The former England international said: "They are targeting the wrong people. If they are brave enough to go against Ferguson as Rio did, then be brave enough to say who you are unhappy with. I can't see why they would be unhappy with Kick It Out. Kick it Out have no power to ban or fine people. If they are not happy with the ban that John Terry got, then it's the FA. They shouldn't target Kick It Out." | While Ferguson confirmed the episode will not harm Ferdinand's United future by suggesting he may be offered a new contract when his current deal ends in the summer, John Barnes urged the 33-year-old and other unhappy black players to aim their protest at the FA. The former England international said: "They are targeting the wrong people. If they are brave enough to go against Ferguson as Rio did, then be brave enough to say who you are unhappy with. I can't see why they would be unhappy with Kick It Out. Kick it Out have no power to ban or fine people. If they are not happy with the ban that John Terry got, then it's the FA. They shouldn't target Kick It Out." |
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