John Terry Found Guilty By The FA
So did you really expect anything different?
I know I didn’t.
The FA at the end of the day are cowards; they dispense their unique brand of justice based largely it seems on what the papers dictate or the opinions issuing forth from radio phone-ins, where the lunatics chosen to go to air (more extreme the opinion, more chance of this) spew forth their largely predisposed bile to other like minded individuals who then lather themselves up into a frenzy of moral outrage.
The FA hoped that the criminal case against John Terry would find him guilty – but common sense prevailed and he was cleared. The FA COULD have used this as a get out clause to put an end to this whole sorry business once and for all – but the great unwashed were baying for blood so the kangaroos were rounded up and the black cap was prepared….just in case like.
Remember, the FA over-ruled their own rule book to bring this change – paragraph 6.8 of their rules and regulations states that the verdict in criminal cases shall be followed.
Unless that verdict relates to John Terry obviously.
As soon as this decision was announced there was only one way this was going. The FA knew that they didn’t have to prove anything – because they use “probability” in such cases.
Are they for real? Probability? They should have just gone the whole hog and used the old Salem witch trail method – tie him to a chair and chuck him in a lake – if he drowned he was innocent (shame that), if he lived, burn him at the stake. Job done.
Whether you believe John Terry is innocent or guilty (and I imagine that will be based largely on who you support) anyone with even a modicum of fair play can see that this has been an exercise in nailing him by any means possible.
No one is advocating that racism be excused or should go unpunished, but neither should we see it as an automatic guilty verdict just to prove how UN-racist football is.
Of course the verdict will have spawned a gazillion opinion pieces (yes, like this one) – some in John Terry’s defence – others foaming at the mouth with indignation because he should have been banned for life, his house sold and the proceeds given to an African orphanage and he should have been fined the entire contents of his bank account.
Then there will be another handshake gate – and another – and another……
Then we’ll get every black footballer that has ever played dragged in front of a camera to voice their opinion. Followed by Doreen Lawrence obviously .
Rumours have also already started of a civil case….
It will never end….and all over a sentence that no one actually heard…..
Personally, I do not think this is doing the anti-racism campaign any good at all. It may have raised its flagging profile, but in my opinion, this isn’t what the likes of Kick It Out were set up for and from my point of view actually could harm their credibility.
I hope that John Terry doesn’t appeal – as much as I understand why he would want to. He knew what the outcome was going to be which is why he retired from International football – they are not going to change their minds. No matter what.
The FA have ensured that Terry forever carries the stigma of being a racist – something that clearly he is not. They have rubber-stamped his national vilification despite the law of the land finding him innocent.
There will be much joyous crowing from opposition supporters and the like, but none of this should sit right with anyone that has an inherent sense of what is right and wrong. The FA have set themselves up now to be scrutinised over every case they decide or don’t decide to take to a hearing following a criminal case. This example of where they chose to ride rough shod over the rule book will come back to haunt them at some point – soon hopefully.
One last thought – as Anton Ferdinand admitted using foul and abusive language about John Terry’s mother, I trust the FA will be charging him? Or does that riding rough shod over that rule book only come into play when it’s a Chelsea player? I won’t hold my breath eh?
Posted by Trizia
Two points:
1. I want to know who – if any – provides audit and governance to the FA. When the dust has settled on all of this, ALL the evidence, everything, should be made public. Let us see how transparent the FA are prepared to be. Let us see their reasoning in all these cases. Why? Well, I am sure that most of the FA are not dim-witted self-serving fools with no thoughts in their heads apart from their own bank balances and their next freebie trips abroad (see my point 2) but they sure as hell are trying to make themselves look like it, and have been doing so for years.
2. Specifically the Terry case. Look at the facts. Came into the team alongside Marcel Desailly – you’d have to be inanely stupid to think a racist would have got very far at our club then. Captains a multinational team with strong characters like Drogba, Cole etc – you’d have to be a retard with a migraine to think those guys would put up with being captained by someone who makes racist comments. Captains an international team with lots of black players – you’d have to be a weak, spineless under-educated buffoon with no consideration for anyone or anything other than your next jolly if you think those players would tolerate such a player in the squad, never mind being the captain. Made Captain by successive club and international managers – you’d have to be of sub-moronic intellect and lack the capacity to respect anything anyone else does to think such managers would choose such a man.
And when it comes to the verdict, whatever it is (including Innocent) – the very fact someone would sit in judgement following a court of law’s decision to exonerate a person, shows an organisation with an ill-conceived, self-important, aggrandised vision of their own authority. Or perhaps it’s an organisation trying to cover up a comparative lack of effort in dealing with racism over the last 20 years (anyone remember “it’s not our problem, its society’s problem”) with this pointless witch-hunt?
Oh, but it’s the FA. Well, well, now I understand. You’d have to be the FA to behave like this, wouldn’t you?
Anyone care to comment on the fact that ‘team Terry’ were feeding the press the line that he said blind rather than black when things initially blew up. The eventual ‘unlikely’ defence emerged after lip readers confidently indicated that not to be the case.
Well put bluebrain .. summed up the farce that is the FA perfectly ..
The treatment of John Terry is a complete disgrace. David Bernstein has picked him out as a scapegoat from the moment he became chairman. The PC lobby and more particularly the anti racism groups are determined that there has to be a punishment dished out in the John Terry case irrespective of the truth of the matter because failure to do so apparently in some way damages the fight against racism. Unfortunately for them and the FA the law of the land determined that John Terry was innocent. To this we should add the clear fact that John Terry is not a racist. He has been the captain and leader of England and Chelsea for the last 10 years. Both of these teams are multi racial, does anyone honestly believe that John Terry would have been most managers choice for captain if he was racist, and that the players would universally respect and follow him? I’m sure even John Terry would accept that during his career he has made some stupid decisions that have led to him being targeted by the popular press. This does not however excuse him being made a scapegoat to satisfy the bloodlust of kick it out and the other anti racism groups who are determined to have their pound of flesh despite him being cleared by the courts and there being more than sufficient evidence to give him the benefit of the doubt. The FA’s weakness in the face of pressure from these groups and the biased reporting of BBC commentators with axes to grind like Garth Crooks, has led to England’s Football team being significantly weakened but much more importantly John Terry being unfairly slandered as a racist for the rest of his life. The joke is that this will actually set race relations back years within football and society. John Terry will become a rallying point for groups he would not wish to be associated with but who will be able to make politic out of his totally unreasonable treatment. The anti racism groups and the like of Garth Crooks have shown themselves to be so totally biased towards their specific goals that they will go to any lengths to achieve them thereby damaging their cause rather than enhancing it. This is a dark day for justice in this country. JT has been a loyal servant to England, the most successful captain of his country ever and the best English central defender for a decade but he has been thrown to the Wolves. With the appalling recent treatment of Liverpool fans , we now have this appaling bullying of an England hero, I’m ashamed to call myself British !! He has to appeal !!
The only thing that matters mate is the court decision and the reaction of the Chelsea supporters. JT wasn’t liked before this case and he won’t be liked after- nothing has changed there. I also hope he doesn’t appeal, it only intensify the moronic hysteria that surrounds him.
The trial judge’s summary said ‘Mr Terry’s explanation is unlikely’ and it’s difficult to argue with that. I really can’t see Terry as a victim. He narrowly avoided the ‘beyond reasonable doubt’ test but the clear ‘balance of probability’ is that his defence was concocted.
Absolutely brilliant piece!!
The FA need to look at themselves in the mirror before condemning JT , anyone else ever noticed Wembley ( the home of football !) on big match days, plenty of black ,ethnic minorites serving in the kiosks and turnstile area`s at ground level but if you`ve had the pleasure ( or dis-pleasure, whichever your take ) of the corperate , middle class resturant jolly area`s you`ll notice a very distictly “white” environment working there .. hypocrites !
Whilst the standards of proof required by the court and the FA are different it is fairly clear that the FA have contravened their own rules in the Terry case.the argument here is not about racism(which is clearly reprehensible) but about what is ‘good’ in terms of law and governance.in those terms the FA’s decision is ‘bad’ and apparently driven by impure motives. to allow the decision to stand merely permits and indeed encourages the FA to continue to make ‘bad ‘decisions .in those circumstances it appears to me that Terry could not only go to judicial review,it is important that he does.