There is growing tension amongst fans of both teams ahead of Chelsea and QPR’s fixture this weekend.
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The match, at Loftus Road, will be played on Saturday but the FA has said that it would consider postponing the pre-match handshake if one team indicated they did not want to do it, in the interests of calming a highly volatile situation.
The pre-match handshake is a football staple and is used as an indication of sportsmanship throughout the game. No matter what football kit you wear, be it a Sunday League Prostar kit or other cheap football kits and no matter in which league you play, it’s expected you shake the other team’s hand.
It’s an indication that it is only a game and an important part of the game of football, not least as many aspiring footballers see the professionals as role models.
The whole situation has stemmed from Anton Ferdinand stating to QPR boss Mark Hughes that he will not shake John Terry’s hand before the game. This is carrying on from the racism trial in July when Terry was cleared of criminal charges. Ferdinand alleged that racist abuse had been used by the Chelsea defender, although Westminster Magistrates Court could not prove that this was the case.
Ferdinand has also said he would consider not shaking Ashley Cole’s hand, as he testified as a character witness for Terry in the trial. This particular testimony drew racial abuse from Anton’s older brother Rio Ferdinand, who called Cole a ‘choc ice’ on twitter and subsequently landed himself with a fine from the FA.
Terry still has to stand trial for the FA, who only have to prove that he used abuse ‘on the balance of probabilities’.
Anton Ferdinand should be the bigger man and shake Terry’s hand, it will be more uncomfortable for Terry anyway. It’s the most sensible thing to do, if not for himself then for the sake of sportsmanship.
