British police said Tuesday they have launched an investigation into claims that Chelsea and England captain John Terry racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
Terry has strongly denied hurling a racist slur at Ferdinand during the stormy west London derby at Loftus Road on October 23.
"Police were notified of an incident on Sunday 23rd October involving alleged racial abuse," a Scotland Yard spokesman told AFP.
"This is currently being investigated by officers from Hammersmith and Fulham."
Police had earlier said only that they were assessing a complaint from a member of the public.
The claims against Terry emerged after video footage circulated on the Internet appearing to show the England star using racist language.
Terry denied abusing Ferdinand, saying the footage had been misconstrued.
Ferdinand on Monday spoke out for the first time about the row, saying he had "very strong feelings" about the incident which is also the subject of a Football Association investigation.
Source: AFP
