Ferdinand statement gives little away

Soccer: QPR defender Anton Ferdinand has released a statement explaining he will not be commenting further on the John Terry race row which is the subject of an FA investigation.

The former Sunderland player, who was allegedly racially abused by England captain Terry during QPR's 1-0 win over Chelsea on October 23rd, said: "I have very strong feelings on the matter, but in the interests of fairness and not wishing to prejudice what I am sure will be a very thorough inquiry by the FA, this will be my last comment on the subject until the inquiry is concluded."

The statement is Ferdinand's first in relation to the matter. Terry has vehemently denied the allegations.

He said in a statement last week that he "thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him."

He added: "I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term. I would never say such a thing and I'm saddened that people would think so. I have known Anton for a long time and spoke to him about it after the game and there was no problem between us."

It is understood Ferdinand does not recall any exchange with Terry in which he accused the England captain of racially abusing him.

Rangers boss Neil Warnock confirmed on Friday Ferdinand had spoken to the FA. QPR are remaining tight-lipped about the situation, though owner Tony Fernandes on Sunday reiterated the club fully supported their player.

Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas has also said the Chelsea players are behind Terry.

"All of the players have been quiet about it because we know what happened," he said. "Nothing happened, so there is nothing to discuss."

Both players endured tough afternoons as they returned to action this weekend. Terry scored but slipped in the run-up to Arsenal's fourth goal as Chelsea lost 5-3 at Stamford Bridge.

Ferdinand, meanwhile, was in the QPR team which was overwhelmed in a 3-1 defeat by Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

Anton Ferdinand Statement

Today (Monday 31st October 2011) I finalised my statement with the Football Association with regards to the incident that occurred last Sunday at Loftus Road in our Barclays Premier League fixture against Chelsea.

I have very strong feelings on the matter, but in the interests of fairness and not wishing to prejudice what I am sure will be a very thorough inquiry by the FA, this will be my last comment on the subject until the inquiry is concluded.

I would like to thank the Club, Tony Fernandes, Amit Bhatia, Neil Warnock, the supporters and my fellow professionals for their unwavering support.