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Rio Ferdinand denies ‘racist’ tweet

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By John Glenday, Reporter

July 16, 2012 | 2 min read

England defender Rio Ferdinand has switched from defending his team’s score line to his reputation after typing an ambiguous tweet.

In it Ferdinand dubbed his team mate Ashley Cole ‘Choc Ice’, a highly derogatory term used against some black people who are believed to act ‘white’.

When this was pointed out to Ferdinand after the event however he was swift to both delete it and refute any notion of racism, issuing an explanatory tweet which said: “What I said yesterday is not a racist term. It’s a type of slang/term used by many for someone who is being fake. So there.

The incident comes just days after Chelsea Captain John Terry was acquitted of racially abusing Ferdinand’s brother – in which Cole acted as a witness for Terry.

Ferdinand made the remark after one of his followers sent him a message reading: “Looks like Ashley Cole's going to be their choc ice. Then again he's always been a sell out. Shame on him."

To which Ferdinand responded: "I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic! hahahahahahha!!"

Cole’s lawyers said in a statement: “Ashley Cole has been made aware of the discussion following comments appearing on Twitter and wishes to make it clear that he and Rio Ferdinand are good friends and Ashley has no intention of making any sort of complaint. Ashley appreciates that tweeting is so quick it often results in off-hand and stray comments.”

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