The 27-year-old was the victim of racial abuse from Chelsea skipper John Terry in a league match last October, with Terry accepting a four-match suspension and £220,000 fine relating to the incident earlier this week. Ferdinand was joined in not wearing the t-shirt by Rangers team-mates Shaun Wright-Phillips and Junior Hoilett, following the stance taken by Ferdinand’s brother Rio prior to Manchester United’s game against Stoke on Saturday and by Reading striker Jason Roberts. Everton’s Nigeria international Victor Anichebe was another who decided against showing support towards Kick It Out at Loftus Road, along with team-mate Sylvain Distin.
The Professional Footballers Association, one of the bodies which funds Kick It Out, insist players are entitled to take a stance over the matter and had earlier defended Rio Ferdinand in the face of possible sanctions from United boss Alex Ferguson. Ferguson described Ferdinand’s decision not to wear the t-shirt as “embarrassing” and promised to “deal with it”.
Source: liverpool_echo
