‘Keep Your Hands To Yourselves’ – Premier League Cancel Chelsea-QPR Pre-Match Handshake

Alan Duffy

26th, April 2012

20 Comments

By Alan Duffy


“I’ll knee you in the back if you’re not careful…”

Who would have thought that the simple act of shaking someone’s hand would have become such an incendiary issue in the Premier League this season? Hot on the heels (ish) of the Patrice Evra/Luis Suarez handshaking palavar, the Premier League have now decided to cancel the usual pre-match shakedown between Chelsea and QPR in case it prejudices John Terry’s summer trial.

It’s now six months since the infamous incident at Loftus road involving the nation’s sweetheart Terry and QPR’s Anton Ferdinand, in which the Blues’ captain was accused of racial abusing the Hoops’ defender. With the case set to (finally ) make it to court in June, the Premier League have decided, after speaking to both clubs, that it would be best if the pre-match niceties were scrapped altogether. A statement from the Premier League said:

“The Premier League position on the pre-match handshake convention remains consistent. In all normal circumstances it must be observed.”

“However, after discussions with both Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers about the potential and specific legal context in relation to John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, the decision has been taken to suspend the handshake convention for Sunday’s match.”

Instead, the players will poke each other on Facebook the night before.

Posted in Chelsea, QPR

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20 Comments

  1. Mayo says:

    Suarez, shake hands with Evra and move past this! Fucking foreigner!

    Terry, you’re safe little one, we won’t make you shake hands with the scary black man :(

    fucking hypocrisy/xenophobia runs all over the FA. Glad I’m not English.

  2. Irony says:

    I am ooozing out of that first comment

  3. bayou says:

    I suppose the argument is that Suarez had been found guilty whereas Terry’s trial has been deferred until it’s convenient for the national team and it’s been long enough that everyone’s forgotten what Terry was accused of. Can’t have your captain looking bad, now can you?

  4. usrick says:

    If the Premier League just ignored the handshake “issue,” either they would have shaken hands (so no problem) or, at worse, Terry, Ferdinand or both would have looked childish. By getting itself involved in the “issue,” the Premier League makes the whole league look childish.

  5. jjautonomous says:

    As was proven on Tuesday, Chelsea don’t need Terry. It’s time to make him disappear for good.

    Liverpool should do the same with Suarez.

  6. Hey ma, get off tha dang roof! says:

    @bayou – I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Terry’s been making himself look bad for years, nothing the FA does or doesn’t do is going to change the general consensus that he is an absolute twat-badger.

  7. rosecityred says:

    But then who will hit attack the post?

  8. FM Fan says:

    Why they didnt canceal pre match handsake for Man Utd Liverpool.. English just want foreigner to look bad

  9. Davy says:

    Chris, have I missed the answer to Spot The Baller??

  10. Steve K says:

    Why didn’t they cancel it for Suarez/Evra? Because the issue had been dealt with and they hoped it was time to move on

    Why cancel it for Terry/Ferdinand? Because the Premier League were instructed by lawyers that it may prejudice a future legal trial.

    There’s a fairly obvious reason for the difference if you look at it, and it’s not to make foreigners look bad.

    @bayou: You know Terry isn’t England captain anymore, right? Y’know, for precisely this incident…

  11. Davy says:

    @ Chris…Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeet, I love a bit of spot the baller I do

  12. nectarine says:

    how on earth would a non-handshake ‘prejudice’ a future trial?

  13. JT says:

    The FA are a bunch of twats! Make Suarez shake hands with a liar because they want to create extra tension and make Suarez the foreigner look bad but when it comes to the Englishman whos done wrong, they give him the chance to avoid it all and get on with things! Honestly think the FA needs to be destroyed and rebuilt with completely different people in charge.

  14. Paul says:

    I think the reason they cancelled the Terry/Ferdinand pre-match handshake is because of what occurred between Suarez/Evra as it became more about ‘that’ handshake incident (where pundits actually analysed the handshake, yep that happened) than the actual match. Oh how i love people’s theories of the white man in FA HQ wanting to make foreign players look bad

  15. SL says:

    The handshake has got nothing to do with Suarez, they cancelled the Ferdinand handshake when the teams played the same week as Evra the Suarez. It was decided that before Suarez acted like a dick.

    Its all to do with not showing the racist scum England player up for the person he is.

    The handshake will prejudice the trial as the defence lawyers would just say, look hes quite happy to shake hands, he would not have done that if he was abused.

  16. Cosa says:

    @Paul

    People commenting here about the FA’s alleged prejudice are either stupid or scouse fans, in which case they are massively biased. It is obvious that it would bias the trial. Lots of people will see the game and if something kicks off, potential jurors will have an extra element that they aren’t supposed to consider, when deciding the outcome of the trial. Simple, fuck heads.

  17. Alexander says:

    I think cancelling the handshake is a mistake. There are no legal reasons for it, unless there is a secret High Court order forbidding a handshake between the two. Let’s at least give JT and AF a chance of a look of reconciliation if they do shake their hands, it’s in everybody’s interest. If they don’t, let them look ridiculous as Suarez and Evra did, who cares? If the FA changes rules for every “special occasion”, why have rules at all? Tomorrow there will be another millionnaire idiot will bumble some insults, so new rules every time it happens? Ridiculous!

  18. nectarine says:

    potential jurors will always have ‘extra elements’ to consider. like anything the victim says or does afterward.

    the whole reason the handshakes were scrapped in january was because ferdinand had expressed an intention not to shake terry’s hand. all this lawyer advice is just after-the-fact justification bullshit.

  19. Chris Tobin says:

    It kind of shows the stupidity of some of the comments on here, when you blame The FA – this is a matter being dealt with by The Premier League and absolutely nothing to do with the FA.

    The FA hold no sway as regard The Premier League – if they did then those little money grabbing bastards at The Premier League would not be holding games on the same Saturday as The F.A. Cup final.

    If they dont want to have either party prejudicing the upcoming trial – then dont allow them to play, what happens if Terry abusers Ferdinand again? Or if they start fighting over a knee up the arse.

    I know where I would like to plant my knee – right of centre of The Premier Leagues bolloks.

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