Rio Ferdinand has featured a number of former players on his podcast, but insists he won’t speak to John Terry until he mentions his brother in the wake of racism scandal.
Rio Ferdinand has admitted he had to confront his issues with his brother Anton before considering having John Terry appear on his podcast, which features a number of his former England team-mates.
Ferdinand is currently a big name in the podcast world and recently interviewed Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen. The program features a number of former Manchester United colleagues, but he has set conditions for Terry to appear on the program.
The pair had been partners in the heart of England’s Back Four for several years, but their relationship reached a flashpoint when Terry was accused of racially abusing his brother. In 2011, Anton claimed that Terry used racist language towards him during a match between QPR and Chelsea at Loftus Road.
The incident sparked a high-profile racism scandal that saw Terry stripped of his England captaincy, suspended for four games and fined £220,000 by the Football Association, but avoided any punishment in court.
Ferdinand says he needs to clear the air with his brother before Terry invites him to his show. Anton previously opened the door for talks with the Chelsea legend.
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Asked if he would have Terry on his podcast, Ferdinand told the Times: “I don’t know. I think he probably needs to talk to his brother before he talks to me. And he hasn’t talked to my brother.”
Anton admitted at the time that he did not hear the slur, but video footage appears to show Terry allegedly calling the QPR defender a “fucking nigger”. Terry was charged in a criminal case with racial abuse, but was ultimately acquitted in court. He claims to have told Ferdinand: “Hey, Anton, do you think I called you a nigger?”
The FA subsequently accused the player of using “abusive and/or insulting words and actions” that “included references to Ferdinand’s ethnic origin or race”. The former Chelsea captain chose not to appeal the decision and later apologized for his “language”.
Terry spoke about the incident in an interview with Simon Jordan in April 2024, claiming that he subsequently tried to contact Ferdinand but was turned down. However, Anton quickly reacted and called on them to sit down and watch the footage.
“As you know, I was making a tell-all documentary for the BBC (Football, Racism and Me) and he (Terry) actually refused to appear. I wanted him to appear to create positive change,” he said on social media.
“I saw what he said on Simon Jordan’s podcast, so what I’m saying is this: If you really want to make a positive change, I’ll sit down with you with live cameras rolling so we have no place to hide. We’ll look at the actual unblurred footage and go from there. If you don’t want to talk like that, as far as I’m concerned, this case is closed for me.”
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