FA’s reticence to act over John Terry affair sends out confusing message over its stance on race issues

Insideworldfootball

The Football Association (FA) does not often deserve sympathy. It has certainly had little over the John Terry affair which had such dramatic consequences that it produced, arguably, the most unexpected collateral damage ever seen in the game. England lost their manager Fabio Capello just months before the second most important tournament in the world. And this, in turn, set off a chain of reactions that also contributed to the departure of Harry Redknapp from Tottenham Hotspur.

Yet it is hard not to feel a smidgen of sympathy for the organisation as it considers whether it should now charge Terry, having resumed its inquiry now that he has been cleared in a criminal court of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand (pictured below). It is interesting to note that no sooner was the verdict reached, many in and outside the game made it clear the FA should carry out its own investigation. As Paul Elliott, Chelsea's first black captain, put it to me: "Not withstanding that John Terry has been cleared in a criminal court, the FA must see if any rules of football have been violated."