There is a thread already on this board about the case itself, but what I want to explore in this thread is whether or not John "iron my hood, bitch!" Terry and CFC have dragged English football into the gutter to face its darkest hour. The FA has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds with its "respect" and "stamp out racism" campaigns, and yet that did not prevent the one-time England Captain engaging in a racially orientated tirade against a black player. The court found him not guilty, but we've all read the report, and we can each of us make up our own minds. The burden of criminal liability before the beak is very high - the prosecution has to prove guilt "beyond all reasonable doubt" and Terry's legal team, lead by a very high-ranking QC, managed to squeeze sufficient doubt into the Magistrate's mind; but that does not mean that Terry is blameless, merely that he cannot be convicted of the crime. What isn't in any doubt is that he used those foul words against a fellow professional footballer. Never mind that it was a black player, the fact that he was using them at all has got to be completely and utterly unacceptable. In doing so, Terry has dragged the good name of English football down into the gutter, yet again. How many chances is he going to be given? How can the FA expect to win in its "respect" campaign if the very Captain of the England squad uses the kind of abuse that would see the rest of us summarily dismissed on the spot in our own lines of work? Is there anyone on this forum (not being a Chav) who believes that any good can come out of Terry's acquittal? Worryingly, I heard a report today that the FA is planning to sweep the matter under their grubby carpet, rather than take a stand against the kind of foul and deprave bigotry and vitriol spouted by Terry. If they do, I think we should, all of us, write to them en masse expressing our anger and disgust.
We have to face the fact that if you have represented England then you are pretty much bulletproof, case in point Steven Gerrards club attack, regardless of evidence the players always appear whiter than white to the court (as white as Terry's outfit), in the end it was a waste of money, and all it has done is let the Chelsea fans/ Terry proclaim "WELL IN COURT HE WAS FOUND INNOCENT SO HE DEFINITELY IS".
Racism is disgusting and a clear sign of an uncivilised society. Civilisation means tolerance and understanding and not bowing to primal instincts. To equate a row between two grown men on a football pitch to racism is an insult to people like Mandela who have spent a lifetime fighting racist regimes. It's an insult to people like Billy Holiday, Miles Davis, Bessie Smith, Lester Young, Thelonious Monk, and millions of others who have suffered at the hands of racists. To the millions of deaths and the millions of lives blighted by racism. Two very wealthy footballers one black one white hurling abuse at one another is not racism, it's just a bit pathetic. Racism is far more serious than that and it should not be trivialised by taking people to court for what is nothing more than stupidity.
Spurf, I tend very much to agree with you. My point is, regardless as to whether or not John "call me White Dragon" Terry is actually a racist is one matter (and one that he appears, at least for the time being, have avoided), but to engage in the depraved and demeaning blasphemies that he engaged in with another player, when the FA has spent hundreds of thousands of pounds trying to stamp out abuse and try to instill respect into the game, is simply appalling. I hope the FA come down on him like a ton of bricks. My worry, however, is that they won't. By the way, the press is saying that Terry has "been cleared" of using racist abuse. No, he hasn't. The magistrate said that there was some doubt as to whether or not he had used racist abuse. That's a completely different thing.
Exactly Spurf. IMHO the charge was wrong. Both (Terry and Ferdinand) should have been charged with behaviour likely to cause a breach of the peace. 100 hours community service each to be served on Saturday afternoons might have gone a little way to stop them playing silly buggers in the future.
I'd have been happy with that. Although I think Terry should have got 150 hours for using the word "black" (whether he was simply repeating what Ferdinand had said, or not).
Maybe ( probably not ) - but at least not a thick racist mug. Now go forth and copulate - bigots or their supporters are not invited in this forum
Well - obviously I can't stop you thinking what you like - a bit like the fact that you say it is Chelsea who are European champions - although I think that Spain might dispute the claim. and if you are still fed up of me being pedantic you could always ask Yid to close the thread - I won't mind.
The headline in that BBC website link reads:- "John Terry Cleared of Racism" However... (1) He was not charged with racism, so could not have been "cleared" of it (2) He was charged with using racial abuse (3) He was not "cleared." A defendant in criminal proceedings does not have to prove their innocence, so there is no "clearing" to be done. What happened is that the CPS failed to convince the magistrate that, beyond all reasonable doubt, Terry had used racially abusive language (4) Terry admitted to using abusive language (5) Terry is an odious, scum-bag. I trust that clears everything up for our Chav interlopers.
Ok so while you're up on your moral high horse regarding foul language, how about giving Anton some equal stick too? After all it was him that started it and you have stated you read the report. John Terry - cleared of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand. End of story HIAG you wum tool bag.
I don't want to come across as being too fastidious, but, grammatically, that should be written thus:- HIAG, you wum tool-bag! I know that Shakespeare once wrote that "the pen is mightier than the sword," but I am certain that he had presumed that the swordsman was not so inept in the wielding of it that he'd more than likely chop off his own cock as maim another person with it.
HAIG when correcting someone's grammar (not a practice we encourage btw) it's wise to make sure your spelling is correct. MAIM
