Police probe Terry racism claim

LONDON (AP):

Police are investigating allegations that Chelsea captain John Terry racially abused Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match.

The Metropolitan police said yesterday that they were "notified of an incident ... involving alleged racial abuse" after a complaint from a member of the public following Sunday's match between the west London clubs at Loftus Road.

"This is currently being assessed by officers," police said in a statement.

England captain Terry has strenuously denied claims he directed a racial slur at Ferdinand during Chelsea's 1-0 defeat in an ill-tempered game that featured two sending-offs and nine yellow cards.

Some have claimed video footage that appeared on the Internet after the match showed Terry making a racist comment towards Ferdinand, a black defender.

However, the 30-year-old Terry released a statement on Sunday, saying that "people have leapt to the wrong conclusions about the context of what I was seen to be saying".

"I thought Anton was accusing me of using a racist slur against him. I responded aggressively, saying that I never used that term," Terry said in the statement.