The John Terry Saga: Who Are The Real Losers?

The John Tery Saga: Who Are The Real Losers?

The John Terry-Anton Ferdinand episode ended last week, with the FA banning JT for 4 matches and fining him £220,000. The FA charge brought an end to a prolonged saga that saw John Terry have to prove his innocence in court and lose the England captaincy among other things. But the entire saga has left a bitter taste in the mouth of many because of the way it was handled.

Despite many claims of justice having been done by punishing a racist, the FA (or indeed the world of football) cannot see this as a victory. The way I see it, this entire saga has no winners, only losers. John Terry and Chelsea have not been too badly affected by the matter. If you need any proof, check our results. True, the 4-match ban will affect us but it's not a long-term problem. So who are the real losers of this whole saga? Lets take a look,

The Football Association

The FA have a no-nonsense stand when it comes to racism. They proved that very clearly when they handed Luis Suarez an 8-match ban for racially abusing Patrice Evra, which is brilliant. Racism is something that needs to be kicked out of our daily lives altogether, not just football. But they went a little too far in trying to prove John Terry guilty. While they were well within their rights to hold an investigation of their own, it baffles me how they could convict John Terry when he was acquitted by a court of law. Does the FA take it's responsibility so seriously that they now consider themselves above the law of the country they operate in? There is nothing wrong in punishing the guilty but there is plenty wrong in punishing an innocent man just to prove to the world that they are serious about kicking racism out of football. The FA are already seen by many as a corrupt bunch who will do anything to protect their own interests. The relentlessness with which they pursued Terry's case means that public opinion on the FA is at an all-time low.

England

John Terry announced his retirement from international football just before he was convicted by the FA as he felt that his position in the national team's dressing room was now "untenable" due to the FA pursuing the case against him. It was a premature end to a brilliant international career that saw him earn 78 caps for England. With Terry having announced his retirement, England have lost their most experienced and best defender. While there is no lack of options for England in the centre-back department (England can call upon the likes of Joleon Lescott, Gary Cahill, Phil Jagielka, Micah Richards and even Ryan Shawcross) no one has the credentials of John Terry. Sure, Rio Ferdinand has more caps than JT but he hasn't been a part of the England team for a while now (and with good reason). Terry always gave his all while playing for England and one cannot doubt that England will miss his composure and attitude in the heart of their defence.

Truth be told, I'm glad the whole saga is over. John Terry can now serve his four-match ban and then continue to give his all for Chelsea and their fans, who will always love him and support him no matter what. Chelsea won't be affected by this whole saga (even though no one is happy at the fact that John Terry was subjected to such treatment). I wish I could say the same about the FA and England.

Shayne Dias

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