He has since worked to be more open about his struggles, culminating in creating the BBC documentary Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me. The film won a BAFTA, Broadcast, RTS and Bulldog award for best single documentary, along with an Grierson nomination. Today we look at Anton and Rio Ferdinand. He is . The choc ice term is understood to mean black on the outside, white on the inside. Video, 00:00:41, If we want the title, we have to beat Man City - Arteta, Anton Ferdinand: 'I've carried the burden for nine years'. We played a very rigid 4-4-2 or 4-4-1-1, and that was the most intricate it got after Glenn Hoddle. Theres no sour grapes, if thats what youre alluding to. No, I say, Im just interested that they achieved more with less ability. 2023 BBC. As well as the campaigning side, Ferdinand has always had a touch of the Del Boy about him. The concurrent rise in school exclusions and criminality is resulting in a lost generation. I like Gordon Brown. As it turns out, Rebecca wasn't much impressed when Ferdinand approached her for the first time. Football and drinks and nightclubs, thats the way it was. Ferdinand deleted the tweet shortly afterwards and denied choc ice is a racist term, adding, And if I want to laugh at something someone tweets.I will! Video, 00:00:55Isak has 'characteristics like Thierry' - Howe, Celebrating 100 years of Wembley Stadium. In 2002, during the rape trial of their acquaintance Martin King, Ferdinand and former Leeds colleague Michael Duberry denied allegations that Duberry had molested the woman and Ferdinand had threatened her in the Leeds nightclub Hi-Fi on the night of 22 January, as well as further allegations of scuffling and drunkenness. Ive been comfortable in my own skin since I was young so I never really cared about what anyone had to say. John Terry was found not guilty of racial abuse via the court case involving him and Rios brother Anton. In the BBC one documentary Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, the former England international opened up about their relationship. During a radio interview on The Chris Moyles Show in October 2006, Ferdinand attracted two listener complaints and criticism from gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell when he called Moyles a faggot, followed by. Im proud to be from South Of The River., Watch BT Sport's unbeatable line-up of world-class live sport for just 29.99 a month, Heineken Champions Cup Highlights - Semi Finals, London Helvecia Futsal Club Ladies v Southampton Aztecs Women, Hartpury Futsal Club Women v Bolton Futsal Club Women, What a race! I used to get through a load when I was younger. How many pints? To date, there are two artists signed to the label: Melody Johnston and Nia Jai. She will live on in our memory, as a guide and inspiration.. - La Rochelle running riot. The pain hurts now more than it did, he says in a haunting sequence. He was fined 2,500 and six penalty points. Im still quite an intense person but Im a lot more open. In 2000, he was implicated in a sex tape scandal alongside Frank Lampard and Kieron Dyer. Other works include the feature-length documentary: David Beckham: For the Love of The Game; BAFTA . This made Kat also quit the Essex reality TV show after weeks of speculation. After the verdict, Rio Ferdinand sparked a media controversy by expressing amusement at the comments of a Twitter user who referred to Ashley Cole, who had testified in Terrys favour, as a choc ice, a slang term which is commonly understood to mean black on the outside, white on the inside. You could see the fibres in my body when I was walking about when I played cos I was so lean. The first thing he wanted to do after he quit football was bulk up not least because he fancied becoming a professional boxer. Coles lawyers released a statement in response, stating that he would not be taking the matter further. By Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad wins Best Single Documentary - YouTube Upon setting the penalty, the magistrate said Ferdinand should be a positive role model for young people in society and this does not give out the right message. Freedom. Antons brother, former Manchester United star Rio, has become one of footballs best-loved pundits with acclaimed stints on BT Sport. Video, 00:00:59Celebrating 100 years of Wembley Stadium, I'm proud of my players - Chelsea's Hayes. But hope springs eternal and local clubs like Lambeth Tigers, Madabout FC and Kinetic Academy are leading the fightback. Rooted in a personal drive to understand, unpack and tackle the problems, Rio wants to meet people from across the game to change the landscape for future generations. The balls rolling now but its not about me. The jump barely fazed Anton, who is seven years Rios junior, and his teammates as West Ham finished ninth in 2005. Anton also has the personal sibling achievement of scoring against his brother during a 2-1 win for West Ham in December 2007. If you asked the same question to do with race, you know its not right. Now he has embarked on a health business but is it credible? Full maturity came after a loan spell to Bournemouth and a transfer to Leeds United. Ideally, he made his first foray into the world of cinema in late 2008. Financing and becoming an executive producer of Alex de Rakoffs film Dead Man Running. Rio Ferdinand and John Terry have reignited their feud by taking aim at each other's 'fragile egos' on Twitter. In August 2012, Ferdinand was fined 45,000 for his Twitter remarks after an Independent Regulatory Commission found him guilty of bringing the game into disrepute with an improper comment which included a reference to ethnic origin, colour or race.. This is Rio Ferdinands family, which includes most members of his family. Legendary Rio got married to his late wife, Rebecca Ellison. Former England defender talks racism, sexuality and mental health in football after making a trilogy of films on those subjects, If youre a black player who is a great penalty taker, like Ivan Toney, it will be on your mind, Rio Ferdinand says as he anticipates the anxiety that may ripple through the England squad which flies to Qatar for the World Cup next week. Rio Ferdinand Biography, Age, Height, Wife, Net Worth, Family Sexuality is an area in which Ferdinand is less familiar when campaigning against prejudice. Rangers' Joe Aribo and Josh Maja of Bordeaux have made the grade after graduating from their academy. The rise in the number of elite players from south London has coincided with the crime epidemic and for many, football is perceived as a passport to a better life. Ferdinand shared some of their findings with the Football Policing Unit and, so far, 12 cases of racist hate crime are being investigated. Since 2014, knife crime in London has increased by 53 percent and from 2014 to 2019 killings from gang related violence increased by a staggering 150 percent. But the subject matter should have overridden all of that., Each one of Ferdinands three documentaries faced the same problem. Two years ago Landon Donovan, the former US international who manages San Diego Loyal, led his team off the pitch after Martin had been subjected to a homophobic slur. As stated earlier, his late mum began dating Julian Ferdinand, whose family is from St Lucia (similar origins to James Justins late Dad), as a teenager, and they later had two children together, Rio and Anton. This is Avi, says the publicist. Since retiring, the former England footballer has campaigned against Brexit and knife crime, and made a moving documentary about the death of his wife. Thats why the rules need to be changed to allow players to feel there arent repercussions from a racial standpoint if they fail, or make a mistake, he says. Its unbelievable. Ferdinand, 42, has been giving evidence to a joint committee of MPs and peers on how to improve the draft Online Safety Bill designed to tackle social media abuse. I ask Ferdinand if he would fancy going into politics. Watch Anton Ferdinand: Football, Racism and Me on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app on Monday, 30 November at 21:00 GMT. Once upon a time, Derbyshire Police once said they were investigating an original Tweet from Rio Ferdinand after receiving complaints from members of the public. This made Manchester United give him a call in 2002. Where I grew up, people take what they wanted. by making a documentary about racism in football for the BBC. A year on, he is still trying to come to terms with this loss and its effects on him and his three children. Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes. Our programmes are very holistically driven so they are centred around developing the person, says Harry Hudson, co-founder of Croydon-based Kinetic which was set up shortly after the 2011 riots. They did it, and Ive seen it, and thats why I am the way I am., Ferdinand also campaigned for the UK to remain in Europe. black on the outside, white on the inside. Unfortunately, cancer returned and spread to her bones. Rio Ferdinands mother Janice St Fort was described as a devoted mother and an inspiration. When the news came the first question I had was: where was it, where was it? Rio Ferdinands Irish mother, Janice Lavender, left the family at an early age in her 50s. Then in 2017 his mother, Janice St Fort, died from cancer too, aged 58. Theres a small price to pay. How much? I usually wake up between 2-3am, when the horror of what my children have lost hits me again, keeping me awake until dawn.. But the fact weve been in parliament lobbying and were now going to board meetings at the Premier League means were at those decision-making tables, bringing current players and ex-players together to talk., Ferdinand meets Richard Masters, the Premier Leagues chief executive, to stress that occasional campaigns and statements of support are not enough to combat bigotry in football. Ferdinand is emphatic that, as shown by the ability of NBA stars such as LeBron James and Chris Paul to confront racism in the US, the real power lies with current players who have the fame and social media followings to force governing bodies to take action. In October 2014, Ferdinand was again charged by the FA for using offensive language on Twitter, after referring to the mother of a critic as a sket, a Jamaican slang word for a promiscuous female. Rio Ferdinand and Kate Wright have featured in their own documentary. You look at our team, we had probably the best bunch of midfielders in the world at the time Scholes, Gerrard, Lampard, Beckham, Hargreaves, Carrick etc but we didnt have a manager who could find the formation that could fit them in and get the best out of each and every one of them. In a powerful section of his documentary on racism, Ferdinand meets technology experts at a data company called Signify and they show him how easy it is to trace abusive messages and to. How did he feel when he saw a more prosaic England team reach the semi-final of the World Cup last year? Heartbreaking but hopeful, South Of River is so much more than a sports docuseries. He may have been a supremely fit athlete, but now he says that throughout his playing career he was so skinny, he often felt weak. In 2000, Ferdinand briefly appeared in a se*ually explicit video filmed at the Ayia Napa resort in Cyprus along with fellow English footballers Kieron Dyer and Frank Lampard. I tell him Im not proud of this, but Im more of the less-you-know-the-better school. Youll hear from me and many others who, against the odds, have been lucky enough to represent South London at the biggest clubs and international competitions in the world., South Of The River shines a light on what makes the place so special and the obstacles that need to be overcome, whilst showcasing the next generation who are daring to dream by following in our footsteps. But he needs to prove himself. The FA considered Ferdinands position as a role model to be an aggravating factor for the penalty, in addition to it being his second Twitter offence within three years. Does he think he has changed since retiring? When they were dating, passers-by would spit on Mum because she was walking out with a black guy.. But I got to a point where I had to make a decision to be more professional.. Im not homophobic after Moyles had jokingly suggested he was homosexual. With a deep love for the beautiful game, I have spent countless hours researching and interviewing players to bring to light the lesser-known details of their lives. As soon as the Manchester United star retired from football in 2015 after a trophy-laden career. Janice St Fort, mother of Rio Ferdinand, died aged 58 after a battle with cancer. Before her death,Janice Lavender once came under considerable strain as she watched her sons become publicly embroiled in a race row with former England captain John Terry. READ MORE:Anton Ferdinand: 'I've carried the burden for nine years'. Bagnaia wins in Spain to top standings, "Champion quality!" Note: There was never any admission of wrongdoing. Surely, the Life History of Roy Keane and Paul Scholes will excite you. South Of The River, a docuseries available to watch on BT Sport and Netflix, explores the exponential rise of players from the area and takes an unflinching look at the associated social problems including knife crime, gang culture and funding cuts. The view from Dortmund, If we want the title, we have to beat Man City - Arteta. In 2015, his wife and the mother of his three children, Rebecca Ellison, died of cancer aged 34. Ive got a young family who have seen more than enough trauma for anyones lifetime, and I want to be best placed to help prevent anything like that happening if I can. She was described as the backbone of the familyJanice St Fort was aged 58 when she died in hospital with her family at her bedside. Both parents worked so hard to support the family. Recently, it has been reported that Rio has struck up a relationship with formerTowie star Kate Wright and the pair were spotted enjoying drinks with each otherin London. Nevertheless, it ended painfully as Steven Gerrards spectacular equaliser in injury time took the game to extra-time. Rio Ferdinand and DNA devotee Avrom Lasarow. This programme is not currently available on BBC iPlayer, See all clips from Rio Ferdinand: Being Mum and Dad, except Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD, Northern Ireland HD & Northern Ireland only, except Cambridgeshire, East, London, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland HD & 4 more, except Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland HD, Scotland & Scotland HD, Northern Ireland & Northern Ireland HD only. Just keep drinking., He could so easily have destroyed his health and career. When he was trying to bulk up, he soon reached a ceiling, he says, and it was only after getting the DNAFit results that he realised he was doing everything wrong. They are very guarded around the media. So I definitely think that will be in the back of players minds going into high-pressure World Cup situations. Anton and Rio Ferdinand on racism in their childhood. Documentary following Rio Ferdinand a year after losing his wife to cancer as he tries to come to terms with the loss and its effects on him and his three children.