Villas-Boas: John Terry a racist? How could you say such a thing

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Villas-Boas: John Terry a racist? How could you say such a thing

25/10/2011 2:04 pm

Chelsea manager André Villas-Boas is baffled that people could think that somebody of John Terry’s standing would make racist remarks to another player.

That seemed to be the gist of the Portuguese’s defence of his captain, who is currently the subject of a police investigation over alleged racist comments made to Anton Ferdinand during Chelsea’s defeat to QPR on Sunday.

"He has put out his statement and we fully back John,” said Villas-Boas.

"John is a player who (represents) this country to the highest level internationally. He is a player of great responsibilities.

“He said to me the incident was a big misunderstanding. That's why he put his statement out straight away. I find it strange when people don't trust the words of a representative from your country."

Had Villas Boas had a quick glance through Terry’s personal history and tales of extra-marital affairs, making offensive remarks to American tourists in the aftermath of 9/11 and parking in a disabled space, he mightn’t have issued such a staunch defence of the England skipper, but he insists that the matter was dealt with it in the Chelsea dressing room after the game at the weekend.

"Anton was present in our dressing room. For us, it was end of story and it still is,” he said.

"It's just a misunderstanding and something blown out of all proportion. People who represent this country should have better and fuller support.

"The clubs are in touch with each other. We have full backing for our player. The rest, we have to wait and see."

Metropolitan Police, meanwhile, have confirmed that they are aware of the matter and considering whether it is worth further investigation.

"We can confirm that police have been notified of an incident on Sunday 23 October involving alleged racial abuse,” said a police spokesman.

"This is currently being assessed by officers from Hammersmith and Fulham."

Terry himself attempted to clear the air after he became aware of the severity of the allegations against him, releasing a statement which read:

"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."

Terry claims that he wasn’t racially insulting the equally as annoying yet less talented of the Ferdinand brothers and said that he was merely denying that he had in fact racially insulted him by repeating the accusation that Ferdinand had levelled at him in the first place.

Confused? Have a look at the video and judge for yourself whether or not Terry is guilty.

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