Was Anton Ferdinand right to snub John Terry’s pre-match handshake in Saturday’s clash between QPR and Chelsea? Should the pre-match handshake now be abolished? Or, is media scrutiny simply blowing the whole situation out of proportion?
Although the game itself at Loftus Road on Saturday provided few significant talking points, it was player politics that stole the headlines in the Sunday papers. This was the first time QPR and Chelsea have met since John Terry was found not guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during the clash between the two sides in last season’s corresponding fixture, and it was again the feud between these two players that sparked controversy.
The build up to the game, according to Rangers’ manager Mark Hughes, was ‘ludicrously’ overshadowed by media gossip surrounding the pre-match handshake between the pair. Would they? Won’t they? Well, they didn’t. Not only did Anton Ferdinand snub John Terry, but he also rebuffed Ashley Cole, after the left-back had given evidence in defence of his Chelsea team-mate at his trial. Less expectedly so, however, was the decision of QPR captain Park Ji-Sung not to shake hands with Terry during the captain’s coin toss.
In the aftermath of this incident, both managers, pundits and journalists alike, have called for the FA’s pre-match handshake, all part of their Respect campaign, to be scrapped. This incident has revitalised question marks over the validity of pre-game handshakes, after other high profile refusals had initially forced the issue into the spotlight. Luis Suarez snubbed Patrice Evra’s hand after the Liverpool striker was found guilty of racially abusing the Manchester United full-back last season, whilst John Terry was involved in previous controversy along with Wayne Bridge, after the former England captain was accused of having an affair with the Brighton loanee’s then wife.
The argument thus stands, that the pre-match handshake is making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Player feuds and disagreements could in the future threaten to evoke further handshake rejections, which would again divert focus towards negative off-field issues and away from the football itself. Hughes argues that the pre-match handshakes are causing more problems than they solve, when their initial intention was to promote fairplay, sportsmanship and respect.
Former players, such as Alan Shearer, have subsequently backed Hughes, calling the pre-game niceties a ‘farce’ and stating that the rightful place for a handshake is after the game; not before the ‘battle’ itself has commenced. Many top journalists seem to agree with Shearer, however, PFA Chief Executive Gordon Taylor disagrees, arguing all must move on and the handshake must remain, in order to promote a positive image of the game.
So, who is right?
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John Terry at last was found innocent in court but there is still the fa case against him. respect is earned!! anton no doubt would have had respect prior to this. key points are:-
– terry should have opened up to anton to say he said something stupid and apologised.
– other mutual friends could have helped.
– police case should not have been purposely delayed. terry was in effect guilty until innocent at that point.
– fa should of had their hearing well before the game.
– the snub of cole was not right but we have no idea of what has/has not gone on in the background.
remember our olympic athletes before the war and footballers having to do hitler salutes. respect is earned and once lost takes time. maybe in a few years they will shake hands. terry is a determined character who like many young men has shown errors of judgement in trying to preserve his image. we know he is not a racist but sometimes in the heat we say stupid things.
Reading this article I didn’t realise that
Wayne Bridge had actually married the person
in this broil. Also I had read previously that
Wayne had a child with her as a single parent.
Wht has this new article stated differently???
I didn’t know this new written rule was one of the ‘unwritten rules of football.’ Here’s some unwritten rule of men that you might not know, you don’t shake hands with men you don’t respect (otherwise ya know it becomes meaningless) and you stand by your friends and teammates. Man up writer this is football and they are men.
What a load of rubbish. Why on earth would you shake hands with someone you believed had abused you in some ways. The respect campaign is also backed by the kick racism out of footbnall campaign. To force Ferdinand to shake hands with an accused racist would make the whole respect campaign a total contradiction. Terry is scum, plain and simple and deserves no respect for how he carries himself.