29 Nov 2011

Chelsea captain Terry interviewed by police

Chelsea and England football captain John Terry was interviewed under caution on Friday about an alleged racist slur directed at QPR defender Anton Ferdinand, Scotland Yard says.

Chelsea captain Terry interviewed by police (Reuters)

The Chelsea and England star has denied making the alleged comments to the Queens Park Rangers defender during a Barclays Premier League match at Loftus Road last month.

Scotland Yard said it was looking into the incident and that a 30-year-old man was interviewed under caution on Friday.

A spokesman added: “Police were notified of an incident on Sunday 23 October involving alleged racial abuse. This is currently being assessed by officers from Hammersmith and Fulham.”

Videos of the alleged incident circulated on the internet in the aftermath of last month’s game, with some claiming the footage shows Terry insulting the QPR player using racist language.

‘Wrong conclusions’

The west London derby saw QPR convert a penalty to give them their first win over their local rivals for 16 years.

Shortly after the allegations were made, Terry issued a statement saying: “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.”