Anton Ferdinand and John Terry will be asked to shake hands before the kick-off in an attempt to ease tensions in the potentially acrimonious FA Cup tie between Queens Park Rangers and Chelsea on Saturday.
The pair will meet at Loftus Road for the first time since Terry was accused of racially abusing Ferdinand in the West London derby last October. Four days after the fourth-round tie the England captain is due in court charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.
QPR and Chelsea are eager to ensure that the match passes off peacefully and have spent several days discussing how to prevent what is sure to be a highly charged atmosphere deteriorating further.
The kick-off has been brought forward to midday on the advice of Hammersmith and Fulham Police and the clubs are preparing to release a joint statement in the next 24 hours appealing for good behaviour from their fans.
Much attention, though, will inevitably focus on whether the two players themselves will observe the pre-match tradition of shaking hands. The convention takes place before matches in all competitions in England after being introduced by the Premier League as the “Fair Play Handshake” in 2004.
With Terry and Ferdinand likely to start, a face-to-face meeting would be unavoidable. André Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, has stated that there is “no temptation” to leave his captain out of the line of fire, while Mark Hughes, the new QPR manager, said last week that he would have no qualms selecting Ferdinand, who, he insists, wants to play.
QPR are aware of the handshake issue and are planning to discuss it with Ferdinand. Hughes and Philip Beard, the club’s chief executive, will sit down with Ferdinand and although they will point out the potential for defusing the situation by taking part, the final decision will be left to the player.
Ferdinand, 26, did not make the complaint that triggered the police investigation that has led to next week’s court case, but was angered by Terry’s behaviour and has not spoken to him since.
Terry sought out Ferdinand after the match and claimed to have cleared the air, which was not the case as the QPR defender refused to take his subsequent phone calls after being alerted to video footage that is alleged to have show the incident between the players. The Chelsea captain has told his club he is willing to shake Ferdinand’s hand. It is not the first time he has been involved in such a controversy — he was embarrassed when Wayne Bridge, a former team-mate, refused to shake his hand before a Premier League match two years ago after allegations that Terry had an affair with the mother of the Manchester City defender’s child.
A Chelsea fan was arrested yesterday on suspicion of racially abusing a woman at Liverpool Street Station after returning from the goalless draw away to Norwich. British Transport Police are investigating allegations of racist chanting from another group of Chelsea supporters on their way back from Norwich, which is believed to have included offensive songs about Ferdinand.
Seems Sepp Blatter was right after all - a handshake cures all ills...
The story is taken from The Times website.
The pair will meet at Loftus Road for the first time since Terry was accused of racially abusing Ferdinand in the West London derby last October. Four days after the fourth-round tie the England captain is due in court charged with a racially aggravated public order offence.
QPR and Chelsea are eager to ensure that the match passes off peacefully and have spent several days discussing how to prevent what is sure to be a highly charged atmosphere deteriorating further.
The kick-off has been brought forward to midday on the advice of Hammersmith and Fulham Police and the clubs are preparing to release a joint statement in the next 24 hours appealing for good behaviour from their fans.
Much attention, though, will inevitably focus on whether the two players themselves will observe the pre-match tradition of shaking hands. The convention takes place before matches in all competitions in England after being introduced by the Premier League as the “Fair Play Handshake” in 2004.
With Terry and Ferdinand likely to start, a face-to-face meeting would be unavoidable. André Villas-Boas, the Chelsea manager, has stated that there is “no temptation” to leave his captain out of the line of fire, while Mark Hughes, the new QPR manager, said last week that he would have no qualms selecting Ferdinand, who, he insists, wants to play.
QPR are aware of the handshake issue and are planning to discuss it with Ferdinand. Hughes and Philip Beard, the club’s chief executive, will sit down with Ferdinand and although they will point out the potential for defusing the situation by taking part, the final decision will be left to the player.
Ferdinand, 26, did not make the complaint that triggered the police investigation that has led to next week’s court case, but was angered by Terry’s behaviour and has not spoken to him since.
Terry sought out Ferdinand after the match and claimed to have cleared the air, which was not the case as the QPR defender refused to take his subsequent phone calls after being alerted to video footage that is alleged to have show the incident between the players. The Chelsea captain has told his club he is willing to shake Ferdinand’s hand. It is not the first time he has been involved in such a controversy — he was embarrassed when Wayne Bridge, a former team-mate, refused to shake his hand before a Premier League match two years ago after allegations that Terry had an affair with the mother of the Manchester City defender’s child.
A Chelsea fan was arrested yesterday on suspicion of racially abusing a woman at Liverpool Street Station after returning from the goalless draw away to Norwich. British Transport Police are investigating allegations of racist chanting from another group of Chelsea supporters on their way back from Norwich, which is believed to have included offensive songs about Ferdinand.
Seems Sepp Blatter was right after all - a handshake cures all ills...
The story is taken from The Times website.
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