Ex-England captain John Terry cleared of racial abuse accusationsJuly 13, 2012 - 17:52 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Ex-England captain John Terry has been cleared of racially abusing fellow footballer Anton Ferdinand, according to BBC News. The Chelsea and England defender had denied making the comments to the Queens Park Rangers player during a match at Loftus Road last October. The 31-year-old told Westminster Magistrates' Court he was merely repeating what he thought Ferdinand had said to him as they traded insults. Terry had described himself as "angry and upset" over the claims. It was alleged he had insulted Ferdinand in a match between Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers, describing him as "black" and using extreme sexual swear words. Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle said he had heard a great deal of evidence to show Mr Terry was not a racist. In his written judgment, he said that after weighing the evidence it was "highly unlikely" that Terry abused Anton Ferdinand in the manner he was accused of. 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." Terry did not comment to the waiting media as he left court. Top stories Armenian gymnast, Olympic bronze medalist Artur Davtyan has reached the finals of the World Cup. Gor Manvelyan has denied reports alleging that he has expressed a desire to one day play for the French national team. Roma midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is not considering FC Spartak Moscow as his next haven, according to fresh reports. 10 Armenian lifters will compete in the 2021 World Championships scheduled to be held from 7 to 17 December in Tashkent. Partner news | Government reveals details from Pashinyan’s meeting in border village Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has met with a group of residents of a border village in Armenia’s northern Tavush province Blinken urges Azerbaijan to continue negotiations with Armenia Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has urged Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev to continue negotiations with Armenia. Pashinyan, Blinken talk Armenia-U.S. ties over the phone Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a phone conversation with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on April 28, Pashinyan’s office reports. Titus, Bilirakis lead legislation to sanction Azerbaijani war criminals Representatives Dina Titus (D-NV) and Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) have introduced the bipartisan legislation. |