Terry ‘racially abused’ Ferdinand

LONDON – England footballer John Terry called Anton Ferdinand a racist obscenity in response to taunts about his alleged affair with a team-mate’s ex-girlfriend, a court heard on Monday.Terry is accused of a racially aggravated public order offence during a Premier League match on October 23 last year, which was broadcast to millions of people.Appearing at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Monday, Terry sat in the dock wearing a light grey suit, white shirt and pink tie.The court heard that Terry swore and racially abused Ferdinand as the pair exchanged insults.Opening the prosecution on Monday, Duncan Penny said: “The Crown alleges that the words he used demonstrated hostility based on Mr Ferdinand’s membership or presumed membership of a racial group.”The court heard that Terry maintains he was only sarcastically repeating words that Ferdinand wrongly thought he had used.Mr Penny said: “The Crown alleges that the defendant, most probably in response to physical gestures being made by Mr Ferdinand which the defendant understood to refer to the well-publicised allegation of an extra-marital affair with a team-mate’s wife, shouted at Mr Ferdinand.”

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Terry ‘racially abused’ Ferdinand