Reading’s Jason Roberts has announced that he will refuse to wear Kick It Out T-shirts this weekend in protest at the F.A.’s handling of the John Terry scandal. The veteran striker has urged the Premier League’s other black players to join his boycott of the anti-racism campaign, suggesting it has failed to stop racial abuse in football.
It is believed that brothers Anton and Rio Ferdinand, who have been at the heart of the John Terry scandal, will join Roberts as will a number of senior black footballers, however several Premier League managers have spoken out in order to quash the revolt.
Following John Terry’s announcement that he would not appeal against his four game ban and fine handed to him by the F.A. as a punishment for racially abusing Anton Ferdinand last year, 34-year-old Roberts told Sky Sports News “Certainly a four-game ban is nowhere near what people would expect for something like this.
“It seems like the authorities don't have the stomach to take this on, and if the players don't take it on then nobody will.
“You know we've sat and we've spoken about the Serbian FA and their view of what happened out there with the England Under-21s and how you have to take responsibility.”
Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger and Roberto Mancini have announced that all of their squad will be wearing the Kick it out T-shirts at the weekend, meaning Roberts could be standing alone in his protest should Ferguson convince Ferdinand to drop his issues with the F.A.
The United boss has spoken out in disagreement with the Royals striker: “I have to disagree with Jason Roberts. I think he is making the wrong point. Everyone should be united, with all the players in the country wearing the Kick it Out warm-up tops.
“I don't know what point he is trying to make. I don't know if he is trying to put himself on a different pedestal from everyone. But he really should be supporting all the rest of the players who are doing it” added Ferguson.
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