Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand denies FA charge of improper conduct

Rio Ferdinand has denied a Football Association charge of improper conduct relating to a comment made on Twitter after the recent trial of John Terry. Terry was last month acquitted of racially abusing Ferdinand's younger brother Anton during a trial at which Ashley Cole, the England international and team-mate of the Chelsea captain, appeared as a defence witness. The Manchester United defender responded to a tweet that characterised Cole as a "choc-ice" – a term that can mean "black on the outside, white on the inside" – and had until 4pm today to respond to the FA's charge. A statement from the FA confirmed: "Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand has today denied an FA charge of improper conduct in relation to comments posted on Twitter. "The allegation is that the player acted in a way which was improper and/or brought the game into disrepute by making comments which included a reference to ethnic origin and/or colour and/or race. The player has requested a personal hearing."