QPR ban racism questions

28 October 2011 15:47

QPR issued a blanket ban on questions regarding allegations Anton Ferdinand was racially abused by Chelsea captain John Terry at Friday's press conference with manager Neil Warnock.

Videos circulated on the internet after QPR's 1-0 defeat of Chelsea last Sunday, with some claiming the footage showed Terry insulting Ferdinand using racist language. Terry has denied any wrongdoing, but the Football Association are investigating the claims, while the Metropolitan Police are also involved after receiving an anonymous complaint.

However, prior to the pre-match press conference previewing Sunday's match with Tottenham, the Rs banned questions relating to the ongoing issues surrounding the Ferdinand investigation. "Just to reiterate, this is to talk about Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday," QPR new media manager Paul Morrissey told journalists.

"We are not here to talk about an ongoing FA investigation."

Warnock remained tight-lipped on the situation, and batted away any Ferdinand-related questions.

When asked how the defender was ahead of the Tottenham match, he said: "He is playing very, very well. I think he is probably one of the best centre-backs in the country at the moment. I think Anton Ferdinand is a very good player and I am delighted to have him here."

Warnock was also asked what he thought of Chelsea's handling of the situation, to which he retorted: "I am only bothered about QPR, to be honest. That is for you to ask other people.

"There will be a statement, no doubt, at some stage but at this moment in time we have not made a statement and we are not planning to.

"We have other things to look out for, Tottenham being the main issue this week. As far as we are concerned, we are just focusing on the game."

Source: PA