Taylor airs frustration

John Terry & Anton Ferdinand: Court case has been adjourned until 9th July

PFA chief Gordon Taylor says football cannot start to address the issue of racism until the John Terry-Anton Ferdinand case has been heard.

The sport has implemented a number of initiatives in recent times to try and eradicate racism from the game, but the issue has risen to the fore again this season.

One high-profile incident saw Chelsea captain Terry accused of racist abuse against Queens Park Rangers defender Ferdinand during a Premier League game at Loftus Road on 23rd October, 2011.

A police investigation was launched on the back of that tie, making the case a criminal matter.

Football authorities have been forced to stand aside as a result and must now wait until 9th July before the case is heard in court.

The delay has left Taylor frustrated, with it his opinion that the Football Association should have been allowed to take suitable action.

Worries

He believes that by dragging the issue out over several months, football and those involved in the incident have been unable to move on.

"One of the worries I have is that football is called on by government in lots of initiatives in education and against crime and against obesity, but when we have had this elephant in the room with the John Terry-Anton Ferdinand case, to some extent football hasn't been able to deal with it - albeit a different level of guilt or innocence because it's more a civil case with the FA than the criminal case," he said.

"Once it became a criminal case and the FA is told to hold your horses until we do this, I have not been comfortable with that because it's been festering over the game.

"It has affected so many issues and I just wish football could have got on with that like the cricket people got on with the issue of the spot-betting, albeit there was a criminal case against those players.

"I would have felt if football is seen to have done its job of effectively administering discipline properly and it's needed by an independent commission, then all sports should be allowed to do that.

"I don't like this, 'Police are dealing with it so will you hold back?'. We have held back but it's even been put back now beyond the European Championships, so that's made our job more difficult."