Rio to fight FA tweet charge

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has denied a Football Association charge of improper conduct following comments he made on Twitter at the end of the John Terry trial.

In the aftermath of last month’s trial, when Terry was acquitted of racially abusing Ferdinand’s brother, Anton, the United defender responded to a tweet that characterised Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, who was a defence witness, as a “choc-ice”.

The term is commonly understood to mean “black on the outside, white on the inside”, and was a reference to Cole’s testimony in court, in which he said he never heard Terry make a racist remark to Ferdinand during the match in question at Loftus Road in October.

A statement issued on the FA’s website, www.thefa.com, read: “Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand has denied an FA charge of improper conduct in relation to comments posted on Twitter... the player has requested a personal hearing.”

The FA must now arrange a hearing date knowing, with the new Premier League campaign due to begin on August 18, the matter could easily spill into another season — 10 months after the initial altercation at Loftus Road.