LONDON – For the first time in the long history of English soccer, a player is being prosecuted over words spoken on the field.
Prosecutors said Wednesday that John Terry, one of the country’s best-known athletes, racially abused an opponent during an October match. Though the potential penalty — a $4,000 fine — is relatively small, the case throws soccer’s decades-long struggle with racism onto a high-profile stage with deep ramifications for both the sport and Terry, who captains Chelsea and the English national team.
England has largely eradicated the abuse against black players that blighted the game here in the 1970s and ’80s, but recent incidents have raised questions about how far the Premier League has to go. On Tuesday, Liverpool striker Luis Suarez received an eight-match ban and 40,000-pound ($62,000) fine from England’s Football Association for racially abusing a Manchester United player during another match in October.
The sport’s international governing body has a mixed record on the issue. FIFA has launched anti-racism campaigns but its president, Sepp Blatter, set off a wave of outrage last month by claiming that racist abuse does not exist on the soccer field and suggesting that any incidents could be settled by a handshake at
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