Featured Image Credit: Getty
Topics: John Terry, Rio Ferdinand, England, Football
Nasir Jabbar
John Terry says his former England teammate refused to speak to him when they bumped into each other on holiday.
Terry enjoyed a legendary career for club and country.
He won five Premier League titles with Chelsea and the Champions League in 2012.
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Terry won 78 caps for England after making his international debut in 2003.
He played with the likes of Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney during his decorated England career, not to mention Rio Ferdinand.
Terry forged a stellar centre-back partnership with Ferdinand, but they don't see eye-to-eye nowadays, stemming from allegations of racism back in 2011.
He clashed with Rio's brother, Anton Ferdinand, after his side lost to Queens Park Rangers in a league match.
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The 44-year-old was accused of racism by Anton.
Terry was cleared by the Crown Prosecution Service but charged by the FA, who hit him with a six-figure fine and a four-match ban.
He's tried to reconcile with Ferdinand but to no avail. He was even blanked by his ex-England teammate in Dubai when they bumped into each other on the bench.
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"Since then I've tried to speak to Rio, who doesn't want to talk to me at all. I've seen him on the beach in Dubai and he refused to speak to me. I think it could have been addressed and dealt with a lot better if I'm honest," he told Simon Jordan on the Up Front podcast.
"I tried to make contact with Anton that evening after the game," he added. "I tried to make contact with Rio and their agent after the game and I basically got shut down instantly from all of them.
"I knew Anton we were mates, not socially, but we always got on well, obviously got on well with Rio. We could've done something that was more powerful than what come about in the end and that's my disappointment."
Years after the incident, Anton opened on the issues of racism within football. He reached out to Terry for the BBC documentary, but the Blues legend decided not to take part in any discussions. The ex-Sunderland and QPR defender has also refused claims that Terry tried to reach out to him.
In 2021, he said on social media: "I never received a call personally from JT prior to the documentary or during the process. As I stated on the doc, the door is still open to have a conversation if he’s serious about racism in football & wanting to create positive change. Call me then JT?"