QPR and Chelsea call for calm

by Michelle Fortune , 25 January 2012

QPR and Chelsea have joined forces to warn their supporters against any discriminatory action when the two sides meet in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday.


Tension is high ahead of the match as the game will be the first time Chelsea captain John Terry has come face-to-face with QPR defender Anton Ferdinand since the alleged racist incident in their Premier League meeting in October.

Terry, who has denied any wrongdoing, has been charged with racially abusing Ferdinand during the game and is due to appear in court just four days after the FA Cup tie.

With speculation mounting over whether the pair will shake hands, both QPR and Chelsea and shown a united front by calling for both sets of fans to respect each other.

"We have discussed the issues surrounding this weekend's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Loftus Road and we are both in total agreement that abuse and discrimination has no place in football or society," a statement from Bruce Buck, chairman of Chelsea, and Tony Fernandes, his QPR counterpart, read.

"Both clubs enjoy fantastic support. However, we would remind fans that while we want to hear their passion, it's a fact that hatred and abuse is not what being a fan of Chelsea or QPR is about.

"The clubs will work together with the police to ensure that anyone using discriminatory or inflammatory language is identified and that the strongest possible action is taken against them."

The statement continued: "A local derby is always a special occasion and this weekend's FA Cup tie is a unique opportunity to show the world that hatred has no place in our game, our clubs, or our communities.

"We would urge fans witnessing any form of abuse to report it to a matchday steward or text confidentially on 07557 435421.

"Let's make Saturday's match a celebration of football."

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Pos
Team P W D L +/- PTS
1.
Man City
38
28
5
5
64
89
2.
Man Utd
38
28
5
5
56
89
3.
Arsenal
38
21
7
10
25
70
4.
Tottenham
38
20
9
9
25
69
5.
Newcastle
38
19
8
11
5
65
6.
Chelsea
38
18
10
10
19
64
7.
Everton
38
15
11
12
10
56
8.
Liverpool
38
14
10
14
7
52
9.
Fulham
38
14
10
14
-3
52
10.
West Brom
38
13
8
17
-7
47
11.
Swansea
38
12
11
15
-7
47
12.
Norwich
38
12
11
15
-14
47
13.
Sunderland
38
11
12
15
-1
45
14.
Stoke
38
11
12
15
-17
45
15.
Wigan
38
11
10
17
-20
43
16.
Aston Villa
38
7
17
14
-16
38
17.
QPR
38
10
7
21
-23
37
18.
Bolton
38
10
6
22
-31
36
19.
Blackburn
38
8
7
23
-30
31
20.
Wolverhampton
38
5
10
23
-43
25
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