Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle said he had heard a great deal of evidence to show Mr Terry was not a racist.

In his written judgement, he said that after weighing the evidence it was "highly unlikely" that Mr Terry abused Mr Ferdinand in the manner he was accused of.

Mr Riddle went on: "The prosecution evidence as to what was said by Mr Ferdinand at this point is not strong.

"It is therefore possible that what he [Mr Terry] said was not intended as an insult, but rather as a challenge to what he believed had been said to him.

"In those circumstances, there being a doubt, the only verdict the court can record is one of not guilty."

I wouldn't be remotely surprised if Terry did say something racialist to wind Ferdinand up, in fact I would be surprised if he didn't, but I can't see how this can conceivably be proven satisfactorily.

The the CPS shouldn't have allowed it to go to court without there being any evidence to prove or disprove the case. I wonder how much money that cost.

There was no real evidence at all. So why make such a big thing of it ?

It all leads to self censorship due to fear of being taken to court (whether it be stuff posted on the internet, or stuff you say to other people). Let me just point out that I do not like it when people say hateful things to one another based on race but the PTB are NOT bothered in the slightest about so called "racists", it's the non-racists (and the loose cannon "celebrities") who the PTB are worried about. (eg ex President Carter reckons that the reason people speak out against Obama is cos they are "racist" in alot of cases.....I mean, what excuse did they have for people speaking out about Bush ? Were THEY racist too ? )

Also I have a mate who was in the job centre and he said to the official there that "the Poles are taking all our jobs" and he was asked if he was racist by the official. My mate aint racist. He is starting to realise though that he had better keep his gob shut. There you go. Keep your gob shut or be sent to jail for being racist.

Having seen some of the testimony of messrs Terry and Ferdinand , it was like reading about a scrap in the playground.

Having seen some of the testimony of messrs Terry and Ferdinand , it was like reading about a scrap in the playground.

Well, I wouldn't disagree with anything you've said here. I understand the concerns people have about political correctness and the real motives for it, and I am in favour of total free speech, in principle.

I find it a difficult issue, though, because I'm sure you've seen the old "no blacks, no dogs, no Irish" signs that used to exist. In principle, I believe that these were private businesses who should have been able to operate any way that they wish without government intervention, but on the other hand, I wouldn't want to live in a world in which such flagrant prejudice is socially acceptable. So I'm not sure how I feel about this issue.

All I was really saying is that I wouldn't be surprised if Terry had said something. Again, whether or not this should be considered a matter for the courts is debatable.

Well that is MY point entirely.
There were NO signs saying "no blacks" "no Irish" "no dogs", therefore why the court case!!? If there WERE SIGNS saying those things then I would not be against legal action. But like Jhado said, it was playground stuff.

No, I know, but my point is that there was a time when such signs existed. Then someone passed a law against it. Then they passed another law, and another law, and so on. All I am saying is that it's difficult to know where to draw the line. I don't believe a squabble between two grown men should go to court, but it's a difficult issue, in my opinion.

Garth Crooks IN HIS WISDOM says that this is not over yet. He thinks that John Terry is guilty of breaking some FA rules and that "this is not over".

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-18827915

There was no evidence from the start, and they knew that....but they STILL went ahead with a trial. There are many reasons for this HIGH PROFILE court case IMO One of the reasons being that it was a psyop.

Hi Steevo, good to see you
it was the way you got banned from DIF that made me realise something was rotten over there.

EDL chant in Bristol today "there's only one John Terry"

Such a common first name and surname makes me doubt the validity of that statement, nevertheless...

Bad language in football: Clarke Carlisle wants clampdown

Professional Footballers' Association chairman Clarke Carlisle believes there should be a clampdown on foul and abusive language in football.

John Terry was cleared of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand this week but the court case revealed the foul language used by players.

On bad language, Carlisle said: "I don't agree it should be that way.
"If players were sent off and banned because of the language, it would cause them to address their behaviour."

He added: "It would cause the clubs to clamp down on it too."

The laws of world football's governing body, Fifa, state "using offensive, insulting or abusive language and/or gestures" as a sending-off offence.

Carlisle told BBC Radio 5 live: "In order to change it, it would take a very strong line from the referees, a very strong line from the governing bodies and it would probably cause mayhem for the short-term period.

"We do have the regulations within the game in order to stamp out any kind of foul and abusive language but they are just not enforced to the nth degree."

Rio Ferdinand denies using racist term in tweet about Ashley Cole

Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand has denied that he was being racist after responding to a tweet describing Chelsea's Ashley Cole as a "choc ice".

Cole appeared in court as a defence witness for team-mate John Terry, who was cleared of racially abusing Rio Ferdinand's brother, Anton Ferdinand.

Rio Ferdinand said a tweet he was sent about Cole was "classic". Lawyers for Cole said he would not be complaining.
What does 'choc ice' mean?
John Amaechi John Amaechi Former NBA basketball player, psychologist and educator

"It is the idea that a black person is black only in skin colour but inside they are really white. It's a highly derogatory term. It's a dangerous term because it allows black boys especially but black people in general, to believe that there is a way of being black that is somehow distinct from being white. There are people that think if you don't wear a certain type of clothing or listen to a certain type of music you're not really black. It's a really dangerous thing. There are black boys who do less well in school because they believe by doing well there, they are acting white. To me, this is devastating for black boys and black people everywhere. It's a deeply offensive term with racial connotations."

"What I said yesterday is not a racist term," Rio Ferdinand tweeted on Sunday.

"It's a type of slang/term used by many for someone who is being fake."

In the context in which the term was used 'choc ice' relates to the black and white nature of the confectionary, when an individual is supposedly being black on the outside and white on the inside.

Cole's statement said: "Ashley Cole has been made aware of the discussion following comments appearing on Twitter and wishes to make it clear that he and Rio Ferdinand are good friends and Ashley has no intention of making any sort of complaint.

"Ashley appreciates that tweeting is so quick it often results in off-hand and stray comments."

Initially, Rio Ferdinand - who has played many times alongside Cole and Terry for England - received a tweet which said: "Looks like Ashley Cole's going to be their choc ice. Then again he's always been a sell out. Shame on him."

The former Manchester United and England captain (Ferdinand), 33, responded by saying: "I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic! hahahahahahha!!"

After Twitter users began to discuss his comments, he again tweeted: "And if I want to laugh at something someone tweets....I will! Hahahahaha! Now stop getting ya knickers in a twist!"

He later removed the initial tweet.