Kieron Dyer does not consider John Terry to be racist for what he said in an on-field exchange with with Anton Ferdinand in 2011 and says he regularly heard racist remarks from white players during his career.

Terry was cleared in court of racially abusing Ferdinand but was charged by The FA, banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after a four-day hearing. Terry did not deny saying the words ‘black’ and an expletive, but claimed he was repeating what he thought Ferdinand had said. 

The incident occurred in QPR’s 1-0 win over Chelsea in October 2011. Ferdinand’s older brother, Rio, was upset that Ashley Cole, a black team-mate of his through England and also of Terry at Chelsea, testified for Terry in court.

‘With the John Terry and Rio thing – Ashley and Rio fell out because Ashley defended John Terry in court,’ Dyer, who played alongside Terry for England and was a QPR player when the incident happened, said. ‘When people ask me “is John Terry a racist?”, I don’t think John Terry is a racist, I think John Terry said a racist thing. 

‘Anton said ‘you bang your team-mate’s missus’, he got angry and said ‘you black c***’ in retaliation. 

‘He said a racist thing which is wrong. But I’ve seen John Terry, I’ve been around John Terry, do I think he is racist? No.’

Terry allegedly once had an affair with the ex-wife of his former Chelsea team-mate, Wayne Bridge.

Dyer also referenced his infamous on-field clash with his then-Newcastle team-mate Lee Bowyer. 

‘Everyone would being up “did you fight with Lee Bowyer because he’s a racist?” No, Lee Bowyer is not a racist,’ Dyer said, speaking to The Kick Off.

Dyer said that the dressing room culture in his era as a player saw white players make black jokes in the dressing room.

Dyer came through the ranks with Ipswich in 1996 before joining Newcastle in 1999. He joined West Ham in 2007 and also had spells at QPR and Middlesbrough, as well as winning 33 caps for England. 

‘There have been times in changing rooms where white players have made black jokes but I just think it is a dressing room culture – it was then,’ Dyer said. ‘You could get away with saying certain things. 

‘I know they’re not a racist so I could take it as a joke. But if I thought someone was being racist I would have them up on it. But hundreds of times there have been times in changing rooms where that has happened. Probably in today’s football that doesn’t happen so much.’