QPR defender delves into handshake-gate

Monday, September 17, 2012
12:22 PM

QPR defender Ryan Nelsen has insisted that he could understand why Anton Ferdinand refused to shake the hand of John Terry and Ashley Cole.

Terry was cleared in court of racially abusing the R’s defender and Cole had testified as a character witness for his team-mate.

The New Zealand international feels sorry for Ferdinand, who did not instruct his team-mates to snub the Blues pair – Ji-Sung Park refused to shake Terry’s hand at the coin toss.

“Anton didn’t deserve this, all the stuff that’s gone on. He and his family have had to go through so much. I feel really bad for him,” Nelsen said.

“If Anton had told us not to do it (the handshake)....but that’s the measure of the man.

“He just said: ‘This is my personal thing. Whatever you guys do, do it’.

“In the end the Premier League forced everyone to do it, but I don’t think anybody in Anton’s situation would have done it.”