John Terry cleared of racism, Ferdinand faces fresh charges

Guilty or not guilty?

• Terry and Ferdinand set to be charged with bringing game into disrepute
• FA made announcement immediately after Terry was cleared at court
• Chief executive of the PFA said the game’s image had been badly damaged
• FA was close to concluding its own inquiries before the police got involved
• Organisation will review judgment before deciding on what action to take
• Decision expected next week as to whether pair will be charged by FA

John Terry

Anton Ferdinand

Fresh charges: Following the conclusion of the court case the FA is set to reopen its own inquiry to decide whether Terry and Ferdinand should face charges of bringing the game into disrepute

The FA, who had a lawyer attending every day of the week-long trial, said they would look at the findings of the court case before deciding whether or not to bring any proceedings against Terry and Ferdinand.

The FA will decide whether Terry should still be charged with using abusive and insulting words and with making reference to Ferdinand’s ethnic origin and colour.

If the decision is yes Terry would face a ban from playing.

Ferdinand could be charged with bringing the game into disrepute for the comments he made during the exchange.

Charges can still be brought by the FA against Terry even thought he was acquitted in court because they have a lower burden of proof - Liverpool's Luis Suarez was banned last season for racially abusing Patrice Evra but that case never went to court.

In a brief statement an FA spokesman said: 'The FA notes the decision in the John Terry case and will now seek to conclude its own enquiries.'

Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers' Association, says revelations about the obscene remarks which are exchanged during matches have damaged the game's reputation.

Taylor, has urged the FA to ensure that players understand their responsibilities as role models next season.

He also suggested the FA are in 'a difficult position' over whether they charge Terry.

Taylor said: 'It has been an unedifying process and the game has been damaged as a result of the dirty linen being washed in public.

Terry and QPR's Anton Ferdinand clash during the Barclays Premier League match

Terry leaves the court amid cheers from the crowd

Crooks also criticised the FA for not acting sooner.

He added: 'The real problem in the Terry case began once the FA failed to take immediate action.

'This lack of fibre by the governing body to act instantly when Terry gave them a statement after the verbal clash with Ferdinand, threw the entire procedure into chaos - forcing everyone associated with the game to either dive for cover or sit on the fence.

'It may have appeared expedient to delay matters at the time but once the police appeared on the scene the FA lost control of the process and the dynamic dramatically changed. The football fraternity suddenly became polarised: the dinosaurs who felt it was no more than two players engaged in a slanging match; and the others convinced Terry had gone too far.'

John Terry leaves the court

Many black British players remain unconvinced about the verdict and have taken to  social networks like Twitter to vent their frustration.
Cameron Jerome who plays for premiership club Stoke City tweeted: 'Very interesting verdict say no more about the uk justice system then. May as well go behave how we want people.

'May as well go rob a bank and when I get caught just say was only banter and they started it by calling me names lol.'
And Fitz Hall, a midfielder, who last season played for Queens Park Rangers Tweeted ' Shock,  F***ing Joke'.

Serious questions remain over why the case was brought to trial when alleged victim Anton Ferdinand did not initially appear to support the investigation.
It was only when an off-duty police officer complained to Scotland Yard two days after the incident that inquiries began.

(left) and Fitz Hall formerly of Queens Park Rangers (Right) took to Twitter to vent their frustration over the John Terry racism case

Prosecutors later chose to bring charges despite inconclusive statements from the QPR player. 

The Crown Prosecution Service said the acquittal was ‘justice being done’ and insisted there was enough evidence to bring the case to trial.
But one legal source said: ‘It was a high-profile case and no one wants to be the person who signs off a decision to drop it or dispose of it in another way. You could say letting it run to court is the path of least resistance.
‘But it is also the most expensive and a verdict like this leaves no winners.’
Cheers greeted the verdict at the end of a five-day trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court. Chelsea fans popped bottles of champagne outside as Terry’s family and friends celebrated and hugged each other in the public gallery.
The multi-millionaire defender was prosecuted over an ugly clash that lasted fewer than 35 seconds in a match last October watched by more than two million fans on television.

 Anton Ferdinand and his mother, Janice (right), look stunned as they left the court

A chelses fan celebrates after the ruling

A Chelsea fan holds a banner bearing the words 'JT Captain leader legend' after the verdict

How it all started...

How it all started

John Terry was accused of hurling a volley of racist abuse at Ferdinand, whose brother is Terry’s England team-mate Rio, after being taunted over his affair with a team-mate’s girlfriend.

He admitted calling him a ‘f****** black c***’ and a ‘f****** k***head’ as they squared up on the pitch.

But the 31-year-old claimed he was simply repeating the words after being falsely accused of saying them. As the pair traded insults, he claims to have heard Ferdinand say: ‘Calling me a black c***?’, and to have replied: ‘A black c***? You f****** k***head.’

The players met in the Chelsea changing room after the match and shook hands, writing it all off as ‘handbags’ and on-pitch ‘banter’.

Even when he was shown footage of the incident on YouTube, Ferdinand did nothing.

But an off-duty police officer watching on TV, who claimed to be able to lip read, complained to the Met that a racially-aggravated offence had taken place.

In the weeks that followed Terry was stripped of the England captaincy and lost a fortune in sponsorship deals. England manager Fabio Capello resigned in a row over the move.

Yesterday chief magistrate Howard Riddle, who is also a district judge, said there was not enough evidence to prove ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ that Terry was guilty.

He said TV footage did not show the complete exchange, meaning it was impossible to be sure exactly what was said. ‘In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty,’ he said.

John Terry and his entourage enter the court

Anton and his mum

Even if he had been convicted, Terry would have faced a fine of just £2,500, a fraction of his reported £130,000 weekly wage.

But taxpayers will pick up a bill of up to £500,000 for the prosecution.

Prosecution fees, judicial salaries, court running costs and the complex police inquiry could easily add up to £250,000.

And the figure could even double if the judge awards costs to the Chelsea footballer’s gold-plated legal team.

Legal experts often claim that every minute of a high-profile court case costs £100 – excluding the inflated salaries of the barristers.

This would mean the week-long hearing alone cost some £150,000. Scotland Yard declined to say how much it cost to put together a case file on the confrontation.

Daily Mail