Rio Ferdinand has admitted that John Terry needs to address unresolved issues with his brother Anton before being considered as a guest on his podcast – despite welcoming back a number of his former England team-mates. Ferdinand has become a major figure in the podcasting world and has recently spoken to Steven Gerrard and Michael Owen. He also has some of his former Manchester United colleagues appearing on the show, but he has set clear conditions for Terry’s appearance.
The pair were long-time England defensive partners, but their bond was severely damaged when Terry faced accusations of racial abuse against Anton. In 2011, Anton claimed that Terry used racist language towards him during a match between QPR and Chelsea. The incident sparked a major racism controversy, and as a result Terry was stripped of his captaincy, given a four-match ban and a £220,000 fine by the Football Association, but was spared any criminal penalties.
Ferdinand insists Terry needs to make peace with his brother before inviting the Chelsea legend onto his show. Anton has previously expressed his desire to speak to the Chelsea icon.
Asked about the possibility of hosting Telly on his podcast, Ferdinand told the Times: “I don’t know. I think he probably needs to talk to my brother before he talks to me. And he hasn’t talked to my brother.”
Anton admitted he didn’t hear any slurs at the time, but there was footage of Terry allegedly calling him a “fucking nigger”. Despite being charged with racial abuse in a criminal law case, Terry was ultimately acquitted in court.
He claims he said, “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 decided not to contest the decision and later apologized for his “language”.
Terry addressed the controversy in an interview with Simon Jordan in April 2024, claiming that he subsequently tried to contact Ferdinand but was ignored. But Anton reacted quickly and suggested they sit down and watch the footage together.
On social media, he said: “As you know, I was making a documentary on the BBC (Football, Racism and Me) stating all the facts and he (Terry) actually refused to be in it. I wanted him to be in it to create positive change.”
“Having seen what he had to say on Simon Jordan’s podcast, what I would say is this: If you really want to make positive change, I will 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 about it that way, as far as I’m concerned, this case is closed.”
