Rio Ferdinand acknowledges that John Terry would need to address unresolved matters with his brother, Anton, before he’d consider featuring him on his podcast — a platform that has hosted several of his former England teammates.
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He’s also welcomed a number of his past Manchester United teammates, but has made clear the conditions under which Terry would be invited.
The pair were central to England’s defense for years, yet their bond fractured when Terry was accused of making a racist remark toward Anton.
Back in 2011, Anton alleged that Terry had directed racially offensive language at him during a game between QPR and Chelsea at Loftus Road.
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The incident sparked a widely publicized racism controversy, resulting in Terry losing the England captaincy, receiving a four-match suspension, and being fined £220,000 by the Football Association — though he faced no legal consequences.
Ferdinand has stated that Terry must reconcile with Anton before any podcast appearance would be considered. Anton has previously indicated he’s open to a conversation with the Chelsea icon.
When asked about the possibility of hosting Terry, Ferdinand told The Times: “I don’t know. I think he probably needs to speak to my brother before he speaks to me. And he’s not spoken to my brother.”
Anton acknowledged he hadn’t heard any offensive remark during the match, but video evidence appeared to show Terry allegedly saying to the QPR player: “f****** black ****”.
Terry faced criminal charges for racial abuse but was acquitted in court. He later asserted that he had said: “Oi, Anton, do you think I called you a black ****?”
The FA subsequently charged him for using “abusive and/or insulting words or behaviour” which “included a reference to the ethnic origin and or race of Ferdinand”. Terry, formerly of Chelsea, opted not to challenge the ruling and later expressed regret for the “language used”.
Terry revisited the controversy in an April 2024 interview with Simon Jordan, claiming he attempted to reach out to Ferdinand afterward but received no response. Anton, however, quickly replied and proposed a face-to-face review of the footage.
He said on social media: “As you know, I’d done a documentary for the BBC (Football, Racism and Me) which stated all the facts, which he [Terry] actually declined coming on. I wanted him on there to create positive change.
“I’ve seen what he’s had to say on Simon Jordan’s podcast so my thing is this: if you really want to make positive change, I’ll sit down with you with live cameras rolling so there’s nowhere for us to hide. We’ll look at the actual footage, unblurred, and we’ll start from there. If you don’t want to talk about it like that, as far as I’m concerned the case is closed for me.”
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