Old Rio Ferdinand tweet resurfaces as he’s condemned for ‘lecturing fans on being racist’

An old Rio Ferdinand tweet resurfaces onto Twitter by social media users as he’s condemned for ‘lecturing fans on being racist’.

In 2012, the ex-Premier League footballer turned pundit was found guilty of improper conduct and fined £45,000 by the Football Association for comments on his account.

An independent commission concluded Ferdinand’s response to a tweet describing Chelsea’s Ashley Cole as a “choc ice” did not make him a racist. But it was ruled the centre-half had brought the game into disrepute.

“The commission found that the breach included a reference to ethnic origin, colour or race,” read an FA statement.

Ferdinand was also warned as to his future conduct. Manchester United have decided not to appeal against the decision.

He tweeted: “I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic hahahahahaha!!” in response to a message from @carltonEbanks which stated: “Looks like Ashley Cole’s going to be their choc ice. Then again he’s always been a sell out. Shame on him.”

The term relates to the black and white nature of a choc ice and can imply someone is being black on the outside and white on the inside.

The tweet appeared on Ferdinand’s timeline after Chelsea and England left-back Cole appeared in court as a defence witness for team-mate John Terry, who was cleared of racially abusing Ferdinand’s younger brother, Anton, in a game against QPR on 23 October last year.

Fast forward to today and the people booing England players taking the knee are an “ignorant minority” who need “educating” said the former England captain when speaking with BBC Breakfast.

As widely seen, England players were jeered before two games last week as they made the gesture to highlight racial injustice.

Ferdinand told the BBC on Wednesday morning those that booed were “being heard loud and clear”.

Former England star, Rio Ferdinand tells #BBCBreakfast that players will be disappointed with the ‘stupid people’ who booed them when taking the knee in their last international friendly ahead of the Euro Championships ⬇️https://t.co/lPMq9yBFMh pic.twitter.com/mBJ2wTePdu

— BBC Breakfast (@BBCBreakfast) June 9, 2021

He added: “They are part of the problem. These people need to be educated. I think half of them don’t even know what they’re booing for.”

The former centre-back Ferdinand said: “If [people who booed] had listened to Gareth Southgate in his press conferences and what the players have said, taking the knee is not about politics.

“There are a lot of people, I feel stupid people, making excuses and using politics as a reason they don’t agree or they’re booing players taking the knee.

“Listen, educate yourself, be informed and then you won’t be booing.”

Ferdinand himself has been targeted with abuse in recent months and the 42-year-old has offered his view on the current situation, maintaining that the gesture is “not a political stance” amid some critics linking the gesture with political aspects of the Black Lives Matter movement.

“These fans, these ignorant people going to these games, they haven’t got a clue,” he said on his YouTube channel.

“They don’t know what the players are kneeling for. It’s not a political stance.

“All these people saying, ‘BLM is a political movement’ – [the knee] is nothing to do with [BLM]. So take that out of your mind.

“The players, the manager are telling you, ‘This is not a political campaign, the reason why we kneel is nothing to do with politics’.

“This stance is about racism, about people being treated the right way and respectfully, and not based on the colour of their skin.

“There is no valid reason for booing. They’re meant to be here helping the team, pushing them along.

“The players’ narrative around this is nothing to do with politics so please just support this team, support these players.

“They don’t want injustice, they don’t want people to be judged off the colour of their skin. And they’re kneeling because of that. So why are you booing?”

Fans reacted as an old Rio Ferdinand tweet resurfaces and he’s condemned for ‘lecturing fans on being racist’…

Rio Ferdinand lecturing fans on being “racist”. Some people have short memories. pic.twitter.com/61poINEDJI

— @sirfrank (@sir_frankuk) June 9, 2021

@MISHA90: How soon they forget.

@FourAdamThirty: Same as stormzy, he gets a free pass too.

@Sonnycrockett73: Virtue signalling when it suits with our Rio…

@issymknight: One rule for fans one rule for players and managers. Pity the mixed messages continue.

@DawnDawniew62: Happy enough to bleat on this morning. Short memory syndrome like a lot of them.

@scottbr0wn: Cant wait for his ‘never avoid drugs tests” seminar

@Neil_Stone1979: Did he feel the same when he called Ashley Cole a choc ice?

@andynjwal: Did he remind people he was fined 45k for a racist comment 🤔🤔🤔

@Jc1381A: Don’t you love irony

@PaulStonehous15: @rioferdy5 needs educating in racism.

@WLoydall: The fans are all for anti- racism just not the knee George Floyd was a violent criminal players should’ve showed respect for all the young men that died on D day saving their freedoms they have today as it was the anniversary of that fateful event

@simp73: Calling people stupid and uneducated isn’t the way to gain support for the national team just before a tournament. Some don’t like it because of where it originated and how football joined in with that. Changing the message doesn’t change what is. Find a different way.