Ferdinand wants FA to probe Terry racism claims

The prospect of the England captain being accused of racism hangs over the game today with Anton Ferdinand expected to ask Queen's Park Rangers to petition the Football Association to investigate allegations that John Terry abused him during Chelsea's defeat at Loftus Road on Sunday. Ferdinand will make a final decision this morning after speaking to manager Neil Warnock, but i understands that his inclination is to take the matter further.

Ferdinand and Terry clashed during the match, and afterwards the England captain was accused by television viewers, via Twitter and the internet, of using foul and racist language towards Ferdinand. He put out a statement denying the accusation and stating he and Ferdinand had spoken after the match and "there was no problem between us". But it clearly was not closed as far as Ferdinand was concerned.

What did happen after the match was a tunnel bust-up between players from both sides, which is claimed to have involved Terry and the QPR goalkeeper, Paddy Kenny, who was furious after the Chelsea captain allegedly insulted him on the pitch with a jibe of a very personal nature.

The issue between Terry and Ferdinand is given added edge by the fact Terry this year regained the Eng land captaincy from Anton's brother, Rio.

Terry had added in his statement: "I would never say such a thing, and I'm saddened that people would think so. I am the proud captain of one of the most internationally diverse teams in the Premier League and I absolutely believe that there is no place for racism in sport, indeed in any walk of life."

Racism allegations are notoriously hard to prove, as Manchester United's Patrice Evra is finding out with regard to the allegation he made against Liverpool's Luis Suarez.

This is the second time Terry has had to defend himself against an accusation of making racist remarks after it was claimed he had abused Tottenham's Ledley King in November 2006. Terry, who played junior football with King, denied the claim and no evidence was found to support it.

Terry was one of seven Chelsea players booked and, like Ashley Cole, fortunate not to be dismissed along with Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba. The sixth yellow triggered an automatic £25,000 fine under FA regulations and there may be further punishment for Andre Villa-Boas. The FA is reviewing his post-match comments about referee Chris Foy.

The Chelsea manager insisted his players did not lose their discipline but accused Foy of being "card-happy" and losing control of his emotions. "I have a problem with referees supplying discipline," said Villas-Boas.

The manager added: "Apart from the fourth official, the other three were led by the emotions of the crowd and couldn't deal with a game like this."