Rio reveals racism

England centre-back Rio Ferdinand has revealed how one of his team-mates while at West Ham suffered racist abuse from an opponent.

The 27-year-old Manchester United player believes fans would be “astonished” to learn the identity of the defender, who is still involved in the game.

In his book “Rio: My Story” serialised in The Sun, Ferdinand wrote: “If I name the player who came out with the most racist abuse I’ve ever heard on a football field, no-one would believe it. I guarantee you’d be astonished.

“Legally I couldn’t reveal the bloke’s identity because I couldn’t prove anything in a court of law, but I heard it loud and clear. It involved a black player in our side up against a very well-known opponent.

“I’m thinking: ‘Am I hearing this right? I can’t be hearing this right.'

“But it went on throughout the game and our player told me the defender did the same to him every time they played in order to intimidate him.

“He even admitted that sometimes it worked, which made it all the more depressing.”