If John Terry is found guilty in either the police investigation into his alleged racial abuse of Anton Ferdinand or their own, the FA are sure to face as enormous a test as the (soon-to-be-ex) England captain himself. Fining clubs for the racist chanting of their fans is one thing, but what does the FA do? Accept racism as an acceptable form of banter between ultra-competitive professional sportsmen? Or send out a message that racism in unacceptable in all its forms and come down on JT like the proverbial tonne of bricks? If they did, it would be a welcome fly-in-the-face of some of the paltry sentences handed out by other FA’s, such as the £2000 handed to then Spain national coach, Luis Aragones for calling Thierry Henry a “Lazy N****r” in 2005.

John Barnes, a serial victim of racism in the early part of his career, seems to think that, in regards to Terry anyway, one racist comment does not make a racist. I myself have seen and heard things in a football stadium that (in my opinion) 9 out the 10 people who said them wouldn’t say out of it, let alone mean what’s coming out of their mouths. Whether some fans get caught up in the tribal atmosphere of a football match or the opportunity to bait the opposition fans or players becomes too irresistible, most of these people would probably, and quite rightly, feel shame for their behaviour.
While the ugly face of racism has not gone away completely, as a nation, we should be very proud of how far we have come from the dark ages of the 70’s and 80’s, but that is not to say we are free of this ‘beast’. I was in Rusholme, an area of Manchester largely populated by Asians, when the famous Millwall ‘firm’ decided to mark Asian shops and restaurants on the famous ‘Curry Mile’ for destruction after a game against Manchester City in 1999. The chants by the Chelsea fans against Genk on Tuesday were disappointing, but are an unfortunate consequence of the ignorance that permeates a small part of football fans. After all, the level of racism amongst common fans is practically nothing compared to levels in Italy where, in 2009, Juventus fans unfurled a banner reading, “Black Italians do not exist” to protest the inclusion of then Inter striker Mario Balotelli in the Italian national team.

If racism can be obvious amongst fans, perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised to see signs in one or two players. Paolo Di Canio’s ‘Nazi salute’ to his own fans in 2005 was considered racist even for Lazio’s famous far-right ‘ultras’. Maybe, to combat racism, players themselves need to be made aware of the impact of what they say to each other and the fans. Really aware. Not by wearing ‘Kick racism out of football’ propaganda t-shirts to warm up in, but by a public, un-coerced act of defiance in the face of any form of prejudice. In 2001, the players from Italian Serie B side, Treviso, made such a gesture. After being so disgusted with the racial abuse of one of their teammates, Nigerian teenager, Schengun Omolade, by their own fans, the players each painted their faces black in a show of support that was respected worldwide.

While, from looking at the television footage, it is unclear what was even said by the Chelsea captain, it is unlikely that the public will accept an inconclusive verdict. That being said, a police investigation running alongside and FA one does not make it easy. Could the result of one sway the other? Either way, Anton Ferdinand knows what he heard and John Terry knows what he said. But the FA stands to risk its reputation depending how they use their power to send John Terry’s career down one of two very different paths.

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