Anton Ferdinand has broken his silence after John Terry was found guilty of using racist language towards him, declaring: "Footage don't lie!"
Ferdinand hit out at abuse he claimed to have received on Twitter since Terry was handed a four-match ban and £220,000 fine by an independent Football Association panel over the pair's altercation almost a year ago.
The QPR defender tweeted: "On a serious note people need 2 read the facts before they send stupid tweets 2 me with liar and grass in it footage don't lie!"
Ferdinand's comment seemed to refer to the video footage that appeared to show Chelsea captain Terry using the words "f****** black c***" towards him during last October's west London derby at Loftus Road.
Terry was cleared in July by Westminster Magistrates Court of uttering the words as an insult, but that did not prevent him being found guilty under FA rules on Thursday.
Terry, who has always denied all charges against him, is still deciding whether to appeal that verdict and he has indicated he will wait until he has received the written judgment before making that decision.
Chelsea refused to answer questions on Terry's ban at their press conference to preview Saturday's Barclays Premier League game at Arsenal. Head of communications Steve Atkins made that clear in a statement beforehand, insisting the club did not want to prejudice any appeal.
That did not prevent manager Roberto Di Matteo being quizzed on the subject, but Atkins repeatedly interjected, most notably when the Italian was asked about the club's policy on players found guilty of using racist language.
Di Matteo did confirm that Terry was fit and available for the match and would continue to captain the club if picked. He said he had no fears about the player's mental state or how he would react to abuse he might suffer.
"He's an experienced player who has played many difficult games before, in difficult circumstances and environments," Di Matteo said. "If selected, I don't think there will be a problem."
Source: PA
