Just when we thought there would be no more talk of soccer stars for a few weeks, along comes the John Terry trial. On Monday the former England captain will stand trial at Westminster Magistrates’ Court accused of a racially aggravated public-order offence, relating to an incident during a Premiership match between Terry’s club, Chelsea, and Queens Park Rangers last October, when Terry is alleged to have shouted racial obscenities at the QPR player Anton Ferdinand.
The incident was caught on camera, though Ferdinand did not hear the alleged abuse at the time.
The case caused a bizarre chain reaction that shook English football, with the English FA stripping Terry of the captaincy after the allegations, prompting the then England manager, Fabio Capello, to resign. Terry kept his place in the English team that played at Euro 2012, unlike Anton Ferdinand’s brother, Rio, who was omitted from the squad. In a further twist, Terry’s barrister confirmed he was considering making a “bad character application” against Anton Ferdinand, in an attempt to cast doubt on his evidence.
It is a prominent case when football is struggling to cope with widespread racism: last year, Manchester United’s Patrice Evra accused Liverpool’s Luis Suarez of racist abuse.
