The Metropolitan Police have launched a formal investigation into allegations Chelsea captain John Terry racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
Metropolitan Police to probe Ferdinand incident
The Metropolitan Police have launched a formal investigation into allegations Chelsea captain John Terry racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
The force have spent a week "assessing" a complaint from a member of the public following the Premier League clash between the two sides at Loftus Road on Sunday, October 23.
Terry, the Blues and England skipper, has vehemently denied making a racist remark to Rs centre-back Ferdinand during the stormy game, which the home side won 1-0 as the visitors saw two men dismissed.
Police have now confirmed that their dealings with the complaint have moved on and that a formal investigation has been launched.
A Metropolitan Police statement said: "Police were notified of an incident on Sunday, October 23 involving alleged racial abuse.
"This is currently being investigated by officers from Hammersmith and Fulham."
Completed
The Football Association are also investigating the claims Ferdinand was the subject of a racial slur by Terry, but their own case will now take a back seat until the Police investigation has been concluded.
A statement from the governing body read: "Further to an allegation from the recent QPR versus Chelsea fixture, the Football Association has been formally investigating the matter.
"The Metropolitan Police has contacted the FA to make us further aware of their investigation into the matter. Due to this it would be inappropriate for the FA to comment until the Police have completed their own enquiries.
"Therefore, the FA will make no further comment at this time."
Terry has always strongly rejected the claims he racially abusing Ferdinand, insisting his own response was actually a denial.
Strong feelings
The defender could find himself losing the England captaincy for the second time in his career if he is found guilty of racially abusing a fellow footballer on the pitch.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand has been targeted with racist abuse via his Twitter account after releasing a statement saying he had "strong feelings" on the matter and backed the FA's inquiry.
On Tuesday morning, Ferdinand retweeted messages of support sent to him - but also a shocking racist jibe at him from someone who appeared to be a Chelsea fan.
Ferdinand has submitted an account of his exchange with Terry to the FA, and said in a statement: "I have very strong feelings on the matter, but in the interests of fairness and not wishing to prejudice what I am sure will be a very thorough inquiry by the FA, this will be my last comment on the subject until the inquiry is concluded."
