Anton Ferdinand tells all on his racial abuse row with John Terry in emotional podcast - as he reveals it felt like 'me versus football' and faced racism at almost every stadium amid legal battle

Anton Ferdinand has opened up on his historic racial abuse row with John Terry, claiming the fall-out left him feeling like it was 'me versus football'.

The former Premier League star says he was made to feel like he was the guilty party and that he suffered more racial abuse as a result of the saga. 

In 2011, Ferdinand claimed Terry had used racially-charged language towards him during a match between QPR and Chelsea at Loftus Road.

He admits he did not hear it at the time, but video footage led to Terry being alleged to have called Ferdinand a 'f****** black ****'.

Terry was charged of racial abuse in a criminal law case but was cleared in court. He insisted he had said to Ferdinand: 'Oi, Anton, do you think I called you a black ****?'

Nevertheless, Terry was stripped of the England captaincy and as hit with a four-match ban and fined £220,000 by the Football Association. Fabio Capello resigned as England manager as he disagreed with the FA's decision to defrock Terry of the armband. 

Now, speaking to the How Do You Cope? podcast, Ferdinand, 40, has given his recount of the day and subsequent events - including the role his mother Janice, who died in 2017, played in restraining him from confronting Terry after full time. 

'On the pitch I did not hear one bit of racism. It was caught on camera on Sky Sports,' he began. 

'I didn't know anything about it while the game was going on. If I had have heard it,  while the game was going on, I would've have done anything, but in the tunnel after the game we would've been fighting.

'It was only when I went up to my box at Loftus Road and my mum said, "Anton, are you alright?" I was like: "Yeah, of course, we've just beat Chelsea, I'm unbelievable." My mum went: "Did John Terry racially abuse you?" "No." My wife said: "You better have a look at this and handed me her brother's phone.

'I looked at it, saw it clear as day what was said, gave it back. I'd had a conversation with John Terry just before I came up, he'd called me in to see if I knew anything about it, I didn't know anything about it, I said I'll see you at Shaun Wright-Phillips' birthday this evening, embraced him, and walked to my box.

'I saw it, gave it back, started walking back to the dressing room because I was about to confront him. The only person who could stop me happened to be at the game, which was my mum. She shouted at the top of her voice and asked me to come back. Just out of pure respect for my mum, I turned around and came back because I was boiling with so much anger. 

'She said to me: "Anton, I've raised you, I know what you want to do. But if you do do that, you're going to become the problem, so don't." 

'I turned on my phone, an old-school Blackberry curve, and so much information was trying to come through it that it just turned off. It's never turned on since.' 

He added: The FA were in contact to come and sit down with me. I had to give a statement. When I was in the meeting for that statement, that's the day I realised I was in trouble. 

'They were questioning me like I had done something wrong.

'Anything that happened negatively towards Chelsea, towards John Terry, towards England... it wasn't just about Chelsea, it was about England, so every club was involved in this. It was always my fault. 

'(Terry) got stripped of the armband. I didn't ask them to strip him - the FA took that upon themselves. Do I think it was the right decision? One hundred percent.

'I got booed everywhere I went. The only place I didn't get booed was Sunderland, because I'd played for them and the fans know me personally, and West Ham because West Ham knew me as a nine year old kid all the way until the first team. Everywhere else in the country I got booed and hammered and heard a racial slur.

'It was me versus football, it felt like it. While he was talking and making statement after statement in the press, I was told I couldn't speak. "Don't speak, it's going to hinder the FA's hearing and conclusion."

'I didn't want the police to get involved - I wanted football to deal with it because it was a footballing matter. Let the footballing people deal with it. But the CPS people got involved and I wasn't allowed to speak because it could jeopardise the court case.

'I was having to be tight-lipped which I really struggled with.' 

Terry was charged for using racist language by the CPS in December 2011 and he pleaded not guilty when his trial started eight months later, before being acquitted.

The FA then charged him for using 'abusive and/or insulting words or behaviour' which 'included a reference to the ethnic origin and or race of Ferdinand'.

The five-time Premier League winner opted not to appeal the decision and subsequently apologised for the 'language used'.

In a statement, Terry said: 'After careful consideration, I have decided not to appeal against the FA judgment.

He added: 'Although I'm disappointed with the FA judgment, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.'

Terry added during his interview with Jordan that he had also attempted to speak to Anton about the incident in 2011.

'I tried to make contact with Anton that evening after the game,' he said. 'And I basically got shut down instantly from all of them.

'I knew Anton, we were mates, we knew each other and always got on well. Obviously, I got on well with Rio. We could have done something that was more powerful than what came about in the end. And that's probably my disappointment because it's [racism] is in the game.

'Clearly in the stadiums and all of that now that we need to get out for sure. We could have done something very powerful as a group of players, not only us but everybody else I think at the time.'

Ferdinand says he invited Terry to sit down with him and discuss the incident on TV but claims he never got a response.