Premiership footballer Rio Ferdinand has been charged by the Football Federation for improper conduct following a racially aggravated comment he aired on Twitter.
The comment was made in response to the recent trail in which England footballer John Terry was acquitted of racially abusing Rio’s brother, Anton Ferdinand.
Ferdinand responded to a comment that characterized Ashley Cole, a defendant in the trail, as a ‘choc ice’ writing, “I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic hahahahaha!!”
The derogatory term is understood to mean ‘black on the outside, white on the inside’ and further suggests a presence of racism within the sport.
Ferdinand later attempted to defend his comment tweeting, “What I said yesterday is not a racist term. It’s a type of slang/term used by many for someone that is being fake. So there.”
What I said yesterday is not a racist term. Its a type of slang/term used by many for someone who is being fake. So there.
— Rio Ferdinand (@rioferdy5) July 15, 2012
The Football Authority confirmed the charge on their official website, “The FA has today charged Manchester United’s Rio Ferdinand with improper conduct in relation to comments posted on Twitter.
“The allegation is that the player acted in a way which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute by making comments which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or race.”
Ferdinand has been given until 4pm on August 2 to respond to the charge.
