'Racism... from your own fans. WOW.' Rio in disbelief over alleged England chants... but FA say there is NO evidence to back claims

By Laurie Whitwell for the Daily Mail and Sami Mokbel for the Daily Mail

Published: 04:31 EDT, 29 March 2013 | Updated: 19:37 EDT, 29 March 2013

Rio Ferdinand has hit out at the fans who allegedly sang abusive songs about him and his brother Anton during England's win over San Marino last Friday.

But the Football Association released a statement on Friday afternoon stating that no evidence has yet been found to support the accusation that the Ferdinand brothers were targeted.

And the FA also issued a strong call for an end to the 'No Surrender to the IRA' chants that often blight games.

Ferdinand, who has won 81 England caps but not played for his country since 2011, expressed his disbelief at the alleged abuse from his 'own fans' and blamed a 'small minority' for the chants.

But the Manchester United defender urged caution when judging England supporters until after an investigation into the allegations, and insisted that it could all turn out to be 'banter'.

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Accused: England supporters have been reported for chants about the Ferdinand brothers - THERE IS NO SUGGESTION THAT THOSE PICTURED WERE INVOLVED

Ferdinand said on Twitter on Friday morning: 'You expect and accept banter from fans on the terraces as it's part of what makes the game great, but racism is not banter and from your own fans. WOW.

'Always a small minority who ruin it for others.'

He added: 'Let's not jump to conclusions and assume though as it might just have been banter. We'll see after the investigation.'

In the statement from Club England managing director Adrian Bevington, the FA revealed that they had 'security officers monitoring the English supporters in the stadium' and had obtained video footage from the night.

It continued: 'While we have no reason to dispute the media reports which are without doubt made for the right reasons of fighting racism, at this time we have not found any recorded evidence of the specific discriminatory chanting referring to Rio and Anton Ferdinand and the vile "bonfire" song.' 

However, the FA also insist they are taking the matter seriously, and are not doubting allegations that the specific song was sung, but concede they have yet to be able to verify the claims.

They have also promised to ban any England fan found guilty of racist abuse and vowed to 'do all we can to eradicate racism from football'.

And the FA also issued a strong call for an end to the 'No Surrender' chants.

The statement read: 'We will not accept any racist chanting and we also call on those attending England matches at home and abroad to stop the "No Surrender" chanting during the singing of the national anthem, both before and during games.'

Fines could be imposed after Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) flagged up to world football's governing body the vile songs which suggested the pair be burned.

The chant in San Marino was: 'Build a bonfire, build a bonfire, put Rio on the top, put Anton in the middle, then burn the f****** lot.'

Football Supporters’ Federation chief executive Kevin Miles, who was at the game, said: ‘Leaping to formal complaint on the basis of second-hand and hearsay information without engaging with supporters’ organisations who were present or the FA is not an approach designed to create the best  possible outcome.

‘The Football Supporters’ Federation stand firmly against any manifestations of racism within football. On this occasion, I personally  have not heard any of the anti-Rio Ferdinand sentiment being expressed in a way that could be construed as racist.

‘Anger about Rio Ferdinand’s absence from the squad and presence in Dubai in an Al Jazeera studio was strongly felt and clearly expressed. But I heard no racist content. If there were songs sung with racist undertones, then that is a matter for concern. But even then the response needs to be measured, proportionate and constructive.’

United manager Sir Alex Ferguson gave his reaction to the alleged abuse during his press conference on Friday morning ahead of Saturday lunchtime's match at Sunderland.

And the veteran boss clearly feels such extreme reactions are a sign of the times.

'That is the modern society I am afraid,' he said. 'We see a lot of that.

'Supporters react to many things. I don't think we can change that.'

Meanwhile, Kick It Out chairman Lord Ouseley today called on the FA to take a stance on the 'vile' and 'abusive' chants by England fans aimed at the Ferdinands.

It has been suggested the song had racist overtones because Anton Ferdinand was the target of racist abuse from former England captain John Terry.

Abuse: England supporters chanted that Rio (above) and Anton Ferdinand (below left) should be 'burned'

Who are FARE?

Football Against Racism in Europe (FARE) is an international network of groups active in over 40 countries.

Their aim is to help support and coordinate efforts across borders and strengthen activity at national level.

According to their mission statement: ‘We want to see the beautiful game played without discrimination and used as a social tool to unite communities, overcome exclusion and create social change.

'Our focus is on tackling racism of all kinds, homophobia, and to empower minorities and women to realise their personal and collective potential.'

The general objectives of the FARE network are:

• To promote a commitment to fight discrimination at all levels of football across Europe – in stadiums, on the pitch, in administration, in coaching and sport education and through the media
• Use the appeal of football to tackle societal discrimination
• To foster networking and exchange of good practice transnationally
• To undertake activities to capacity build and empower marginalized and discriminated groups, in particular young people, migrants, ethnic minorities, members of the LGBT communities and women.

Where do they get their money from?

Funding has come from the European Commission, UEFA and smaller bodies such as Stand Up Speak Up, a campaign launched  by Thierry Henry and Nike to fight racism.

Did FARE have anyone at the match?

No. They operate as a conduit for complaints of racism.

So why are they getting involved?

Despite having no direct experience of the chanting, FARE claim they are duty bound to lodge a complaint after collating evidence sent to them and after studying media reports of the match. 

And why do they think the chant was racist?

That is far from clear. The bonfire song is sung at football stadiums across Britain without any suggestions of racism. Some suggest the inclusion of Anton Ferdinand as well as his brother Rio has turned the song into a racist attack. FARE have talked only of an ‘undercurrent of race’. Others point to connotations of the Ku Klux Klan.

What happens next?

FIFA will assess the complaint next week. If the allegations are proved it is possible, but unlikely, that England could end up being forced to play their next match behind closed doors. Hungary and Bulgaria played in empty stadiums as a result of  FIFA punishments.

Ouseley told BBC Radio 5 Live: 'Whether it's racist or not, it's certainly unacceptable. It's vile and it shouldn't be part of sport. Something needs to be done about it.

'These are the supporters of the England national team who are travelling abroad and singing songs like that. What messages does it send out about the type of people we are and who we represent?

'The Football Association should be taking a stance on this about the people it wants supporting the England team, the image it wants to send abroad.

'I've already contacted the chairman of the Football Association and said this has to be looked at, investigated and dealt with. Do you want to be having an army of fans who call themselves the England fans travelling abroad, being abusive to their own players like that, or indeed other people?

'FIFA will determine (whether it is racist) but clearly we can take a stance on that. We have policies

on anti-racism, homophobia and all other forms of unacceptable behaviour. Why are we so quiet about it?'

FIFA said in a statement: 'We can confirm that FIFA has been contacted by FARE regarding the FIFA World Cup qualifier match between San Marino and England last Friday.

'FIFA will now analyse the content of the documents and next steps will be determined in due course.'

The ultimate sanction, if FIFA take action against England, is playing a World Cup qualifier behind closed doors.

FARE, headed by Piara Powar, did not have observers at the game as it was not expected to be 'high risk', but were supplied with information about the chants by people who were and they have decided to act.

The organisation is a pan-European network that aims to rid racism from football. They also reported racist or xenophobic incidents at Croatia v Serbia and Poland v Ukraine, matches where members were present.

The FA did not know an official complaint had been made when Sportsmail enquired but they are aware of the songs.

English fans also sang about the IRA and 'German bombers' during the World Cup qualifier but FARE made it clear the Ferdinand chanting was the reason FIFA had been notified. 

A FARE spokeswoman said: 'It refers to the racist abuse Rio Ferdinand received, along with his brother Anton.

'We don't make the judgement. We send a report to FIFA but in the end its their decision whether they open proceedings or not. And whether they issue a fine or not.'

An FA spokesman said: 'We have not been notified on this matter and until we get a full report it would not be appropriate to say anything.'

Powar told Sportsmail: ‘It’s not really the sort of thing we are generally attuned to looking at – fans abusing players of their own country who may not have been picked.

'Nevertheless if it happens at a game, even if the focus of the abuse isn’t there it’s still happening.

‘One of the things we want to underline straight off is that sometimes racism doesn’t only take the form of monkey chants or bananas being thrown. Sometimes there are things that are more subtle at play.

‘In the end we are not responsible for making a decision on whether England fans are guilty of racism here but we do have a duty to report things that are said to us because individuals have reported them as racist or xenophobic within the context.'

Pulled out: Man United defender Ferdinand was called up but withdrew from Roy Hodgson's squad

FERGIE'S RIO ADVICE

Sir Alex Ferguson encouraged Rio Ferdinand to have face-to-face talks with England boss Roy Hodgson over his international future.

Ferdinand, 34, was picked for World Cup qualifiers in San Marino and Montenegro, but withdrew due to an ‘intricate and pre-planned’ training regime.

He then drew abuse from fans for his trip to Qatar to be a pundit for the San Marino game.

Ferguson said: ‘He needed to explain how we handle him and how he prepares. I think Roy appreciated that.’

He added: ‘If someone says to us, “We think this is a big issue”, and there doesn’t seem to be malicious intent from their perspective then we are obliged to report it.

'We have people who look at this stuff and they have a fairly clear idea of the standards required by governing bodies.

'It’s then put to them and it’s their process. In this case it’s FIFA’s process. They see whether the evidence hits the standard to take forward a prosecution.

'FIFA, in the last couple of incidents they’ve dealt with, have shown a stronger side. They banned Hungary and Bulgaria from playing with fans last Friday. Forced them to play behind closed doors.

'That’s quite rare to have a major tournament qualifier behind closed doors. The last two incidents we reported FIFA showed a very strong hand.'

FARE feel the use of the ‘You know what you are’ chant also has a racial element, given the history of the chant in the Terry case.

Peter Herbert, chairman of the Society for Black Lawyers, insists the bonfire chant does have racist overtones, adding: ‘We’re uncovering a hard core of racist fans out there and it doesn’t take very much to trigger their abuse.

‘Some England fans, in that sense, would claim the Ku Klux Klan are not racist. I think anybody with any sense and understanding of how racism operates will see that this is clearly racially motivated and is directed at him. It would not have been said if it had been a white footballer in the same situation.’