John Terry cleared of racial abuse charge

Chelsea captain John Terry was cleared of racially abusing an opponent during a Premier League match after one of the most high-profile trials involving a football player.

The case led to Terry being stripped of the England captaincy by the Football Association ahead of the European Championship and the departure of coach Fabio Capello who disagreed with the decision.

But after hearing four days of evidence at a London court, chief magistrate Howard Riddle found he was not convinced that Terry had committed a racially aggravated public order offence in a confrontation with Queens Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand during the match in October.