Rio Ferdinand’s use of Twitter has again hit the headlines after he was charged by the FA for acting “in a way which was improper and/or bought the game into disrepute by making comments which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race.”
The charge arose when Ferdinand replied to a tweet from a fan who had called Chelsea defender Ashley Cole a ‘choc ice’, slang for a black person that acts white (I was unaware you could act like a race but anyway).
In his reply, Ferdinand stated the use of the term choc ice is ‘classic’, but despite the defender not using the word himself it appears the tweet was taken as him condoning it’s use.
Ferdinand denied the charge at a private hearing last Friday, but the FA have found him guilty and he has subsequently been fined £45k and warned about his future conduct.
