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Mid-Day Ticker: Ferdinand charged over tweets, Swiss Olympian banned & more

Rio Ferdinand (AP)


By FRANCO PANIZO

Rio Ferdinand's rough summer just got worse.

Having missed out on Euro 2012 due to manager Roy Hodgson electing John Terry over him, Ferdinand is now being charged by the English Football Association over remarks he made on Twitter following the conclusion of Terry's recent trial. Ferdinand made reference to comments made by Chelsea defender Ashley Cole, who was a defense witness for Terry in the racism trial of Ferdinand's brother Anton, as someone who is black on the outside and white on the inside.

That has forced the FA to take action and Ferdinand has until Thursday to respond to the improper conduct charge made against him. If found guilty, Ferdinand could receive a fine and/or suspension before the new Premier League campaign.

Here are more stories from around the soccer world:

SWISS OLYMPIAN BANNED

Twitter has gotten another soccer player in England in trouble.

Swiss Olympian Michel Morganella has been banned for the rest of the tournament for an insulting tweet aimed at the South Korean Olympic team following Switzerland's 2-1 loss to the Asian side on Sunday. Morganella, a Palermo defender, had played all 180 minutes for Switzerland in its draw with Gabon and loss to South Korea.

Switzerland's run in London may only have one more game remaining anyway, as the Swiss must beat Mexico while hoping for South Korea to slip up against Gabon all while overcoming a two goal differential.

EVERTON NEARING PERMANENT PIENAAR DEAL

Everton is already putting that Tim Cahill transfer money from New York to good use.

The Toffees have reportedly agreed with Tottenham on a fee to bring Steven Pienaar back to Goodison Park a year and a half after he bolted Merseyside for London.

Pienaar never really fit in with Tottenham and returned to Everton on loan for the last half of last season, scoring four goals and rediscovering his top form.

MAN UTD, CHEVROLET AGREE TO DEAL

The front of Manchester United's uniforms will have a bit of a different look starting in 2014.

The Red Devils and General Motors car brand Chevrolet have agreed to a seven-year sponsorship deal beginning in the 2014-2015 season, with the American brand replacing the current sponsor, Aon. Chevrolet will become the fifth kit sponsor in the club's history. The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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What do you think Ferdinand's punishment should be? Think it was just for Switzerland to ban Morganella for the rest of the tournament? Should athletes be disciplined for insulting tweets? How do you see Pienaar faring in his full return to Everton?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. “How do you end racism in soccer if you don’t make attempts to prosecute offenders?”

    It seems that this question is meant to be rhetorical but I wonder that you seriously can’t think of ANY other ways?

    How do you specifically define “prosecute”? Do you mean through legal action in a civl/criminal court system?

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  2. Mike,

    Terry is simply alleged to have said what conservatives say about black people in general. Please go back to your Tea Party rally.

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  3. Everyone saying that these cases against players who allegedly committed racism is a “waste of time” and YET say they’re against racism are ridiculous. How do you end racism in soccer if you don’t make attempts to prosecute offenders? Just dumb. Plus that person who made the original reverse racism comment is a complete moron.

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  4. When all of this nonsense comes up, I can’t help but think of the scene from True Romance when Dennis Hopper’s character gives Christopher Walken’s mob boss character a history lesson on Sicily. After Hopper delivers the punch line, Walken’s laughs and says,….”and your a cantaloupe!” That sums up the ridiculousness of it all!

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  5. Ferdinand, Terry, Suarez, Evra,…..what a joke all of this is! Cannot believe the FA is going to carry on with trying to monitor and interpret the nonsense said on the field and written on Twatter and then attempt to sanction players for it. This is folly!

    I said it months ago during the Suarez v. Evra affair,…..welcome to the slippery slope!

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  6. I’m just not seeing how saying a “black” person is “white” on the inside is racist or offensive though. Saying someone isn’t “true to their race” doesn’t necessarily denote hatred of a race. It sounds like some white people are just a bit too eager cry reverse racism here. ChristheLSUtiger, you may want to do a bit of reading in the anthropological field. Reverse racism is basically being racist towards white people. It’s different from racism, because racism refers to white superiorty at the expense of non-whites. The dictionary definition of racism is usually incomplete or flatly incorrect.

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  7. Rio didnt say anything about Cole. He re-tweeted the comment & name that one of his fans called Cole. Re-tweeting the comment was wrong however I am dissapointed that no other black footballers who play in England ever speak up about the racism. This is the 2nd time John Terry has called a black player out of their name (Ledley King).

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  8. I am from Missouri and I am embarassed that I am from the same state as Old School.

    Mike in Missouri’s comment is correct, if inappropriate (but not unusual) for a soccer blog.

    There are too many instances NOT to know about about this: Google “Michael Steele” and “Sambo” and/or “pelted with oreos”, and “Condi Rice” and “Miss Kizzie” for starters.

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  9. I’ll agree that racism in Euro football is a problem and even that it should be punished in serious cases. I’m especially concerned about racism among fans, where I think the bigger problems exist. But I still think the investigation of Rio’s tweet and the criminal case against Terry are absurd wastes of time.

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  10. Rio is obviously upset by the incident involving his brother Anton. It would’ve been better to keep his comments to himself. For the record, not many people like Ashley Cole anyway.

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  11. recall that Cole is half black, half white but is regarded as a Black man.

    Life is too short for us to care about colors unless it is refering to SKITTLES

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  12. Wow, Rio’s attitude is all messed up. Would it be okay for a white man to say that Cole is white on the inside? No, so it’s not okay for a black man to say it either. Would it be okay for a white man to discount someone’s opinion because they’re “black on the inside”? No, so for Rio to say that about Cole is just wrong — wrong and very disappointing.

    Reply
  13. Under English Law, it is considered a criminal offense to racially abuse someone verbally. While in the United States freedom of speech is said to be “embraced”, physical altercations incited by race are not condoned. Things do not work the same here as they do in England, and I do not see an issue with having an anti-racism campaign in football in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. If anything, any sort of racist behavior in football should be disciplined appropriately, it is disgusting, ignorant, and intolerable.

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  14. The anti-racism campaign in English football has gone out of control. I understand that it comes from a history of serious problems with racism, but really who cares about Rio Ferdinand’s tweets? It’s name-calling, just like John Terry’s initial act, which was ridiculously charged as a crime.

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  15. I’m offended that you list “Missouri” in your username.

    Your post makes me embarrassed we’re from the same state.

    Reply
  16. Bedoya apparently signed with the best team in Sweden- Helsingbor. They are so close to the CL group stage, just have to get through qualifying. if they fail, they still have Europa League

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  17. Really, what politician said anything like that? Example please. Oh, wait this is a soccer blog. Why don’t you post that over at red state?

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  18. I would certainly consider is reverse in this case… racism was charged by Terrys brother Anton… so Antons brother sends a shot back across the table to Terry’s mate Cole…

    he reversed it… if you like…

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  19. i did think Rio’s pose up top reminds me of Johnny Cochran….”if it doesnt tweet, it doesnt tweet, you must delete!”

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  20. Yes, what this website has been sorely, sorely lacking is for people to try and swerve it into partisan political bickering. Well done. Well done indeed.

    Reply
  21. every day it looks more likely, but still can not believe it!

    if Rangers move up 2 divisions with American Owners and players they will owe US Soccer forever.

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  22. All it says is that Boca hasn’t ruled out staying. I don’t think it means anything other than Carlos being very professional about the whole situation. He’s not going to sit around going, “Oh yeah, I can’t wait to get out of this place now that we’re in the gutters of Scottish football.”

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  23. Ferdinand said simply what liberals say about Black Republicans. Either Ferdinand’s not guilty of it or a bunch of politicians are racist.

    Reply

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