Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has been charged with improper conduct by the Football Association in relation to comments posted on Twitter at the end of John Terry’s recent trial.
Ferdinand denied he was being racist after responding to a tweet describing Chelsea’s Ashley Cole as a “choc ice”. The term used relates to the black and white nature of the confectionery, and can imply someone is being black on the outside and white on the inside.
A statement on the FA website read:
“The allegation is that the player acted in a way which was improper and/or bought the game into disrepute by making comments which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race.”
I expected Ferdinand to get a warning for his tweet, not a potential suspension. With Jonny Evans and Chris Smalling injured, and United captain Nemanja Vidic battling to come back from an injury that has seen him out of action since December, United face the real possibility of a defensive crisis ahead of their trip to Goodison Park to open the season if Ferdinand is suspended.