Ferdinand’s ‘strong feelings’ on racism saga

QPR defender Anton Ferdinand yesterday revealed he had “very strong feelings” following his clash with England captain John Terry that has led to a FA racism investigation.

In his first public statement on the incident, Ferdinand also said he was sure the FA would carry out a “very thorough inquiry” into the matter.

Terry has denied racially abusing Ferdinand during QPR’s clash with Chelsea at Loftus Road on October 23.

On Tuesday the FA launched the investigation into Terry’s alleged racial slur and the incident has been the subject of intense media scrutiny ever since.

There had been speculation over the weekend that Ferdinand would release a statement containing his version of events, but he instead decided to keep his counsel on the matter and chose to state only that he was happy to leave the FA to take charge of the matter.

After submitting his account of the exchange with Terry, Ferdinand released the following statement: “Today 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.”

Terry has denied racially abusing Ferdinand, who he admitted had accused him of making a racist remark, but insisted his own response was actually a denial and not racist in any way.

Ferdinand received high praise from Neil Warnock for the way he has handled himself throughout the saga, and the defender returned the compliment, thanking his manager and the club’s hierarchy for their support.

He added in his statement: “I would like to thank the club, Tony Fernandes, Amit Bhatia, Neil Warnock, the supporters and my fellow professionals for their unwavering support.”

Should Terry be found guilty of racially abusing a fellow player, his position as England captain could once again be put in jeopardy.

The 30-year-old lost the skipper’s armband in February 2010 after allegations emerged that he had had an affair with the ex-girlfriend of former team-mate Wayne Bridge.

Fabio Capello chose to reinstate Terry as skipper 13 months later, but he will face huge pressure to take the role off Terry again if he is found guilty of the allegations.

Chelsea, for their part, have given Terry their staunch backing during the saga, with manager Andre Villas-Boas making constant calls for his captain not to be judged before the FA investigation is complete.

QPR, meanwhile, have given their support to Ferdinand, who put in a solid display at White Hart Lane on Sunday despite seeing his side concede three times.

Rangers striker Jay Bothroyd has given the former Sunderland and West Ham man his support and is confident that his 26-year-old team-mate will not be affected by the investigation in the coming weeks.

“He hasn’t let it affect him and I don’t see why it would,” Bothroyd said.