Rio Ferdinand's 'Sket' Tweet Proves He Still Needs Educating in Self-Awareness

Whatever else was hidden by the footballing talent that enabled Rio Ferdinand to become one of the world’s finest defenders didn’t include a gift for acute self-analysis.

Certainly not in 2003, when he missed a drug test at Manchester United’s training ground and was withdrawn by the FA from England’s forthcoming European Championship qualifier in Turkey (prior to the inevitable long-term suspension that followed).

Far from understanding that the FA had an obligation to protect the national side, Ferdinand and the entire United family rose up in outraged protest. Sir Alex Ferguson furiously vented his feelings to FA officials on the telephone. Gary Neville tried to organise a revolt among the England squad, earning the sobriquet "Red Nev" in the process.

Wiser counsels prevailed, England got the scoreless draw that saw them through to the finals in Portugal (where John Terry proved an able deputy for the banned Ferdinand) and the defender served the remainder of his suspension before returning to the United side that, after being beaten to two titles by Jose Mourinho’s original Chelsea, restored normal service by winning three in a row.

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Yes, it seemed one that could be put down to experience, as Ferdinand became rightly regarded as one of life’s winners—on and off the field.

His charity work is well recognised, and his advice was sought even by the FA when Greg Dyke launched an inquiry into England’s perceived failings. That’s not to mention the recent success of his latest autobiography, with its title—#2sides—naturally involving a hashtag in order to remind us that he is a star of the Twittersphere.

But Ferdinand still gets into the odd bit of trouble, largely due to an overdeveloped sense of his own rectitude.

As in his endorsement of a tweet that referred to Ashley Cole as a "choc ice" (brown outside and white on the inside) for having given evidence on John Terry’s behalf when the Chelsea captain appeared in court and was found not guilty of having racially abused Ferdinand’s brother Anton.

The FA understandably deemed Rio guilty of committing just such an offence through his tweet and fined the then United player £45,000.

That was in 2012 and now Ferdinand has diversified into gender issues. In tweeting a reply to a United fan who taunted him by saying Queens Park Rangers, the team he joined in the summer, needed a new central defender, his thumbs tapped out the following message: "Get ya mum in, plays the field well son! #sket."

Thus introducing the uninitiated to a slang term, Caribbean in origin, for a woman of loose morals.

Was it as vile a slur as the implication about Ashley Cole? The FA appeared to think so. Although the fine was only £25,000 this time, they coupled it with a three-match suspension from playing and an order to attend an education programme.

And still, it seems, he’s always the victim; it’s never his fault. Ferdinand is said to be furious he was charged and has since tweeted: "Is humour even allowed? I’m baffled."

Of course humour is allowed. The FA, for example, didn’t charge Ferdinand for his kind offer to become England manager even though he has no experience of management.

And nor could the FA be accused of lacking a sense of humour when their latest sanction on Ferdinand includes that three-match ban. I mean, how are we suppose to notice? He’s not in the team, Harry Redknapp having dropped him a couple of matches ago.

If what the FA are truly saying is that, having examined Ferdinand’s "sket" remark in detail and from a variety of angles, they are unable to find a trace of humour in it, I thoroughly agree with them.

"

@rioferdy5 autobiography #2sides available now @fivemilepress http://t.co/YSWzhnF7NZ . Enjoy pics from the UK launch! pic.twitter.com/RdflJP1ABk

— The Five Mile Press (@fivemilepress) October 30, 2014"

If they are saying that they find it nasty and entirely at odds with the enlightened contemporary attitudes that Ferdinand affects to espouse—and very much of a pattern with the "choc ice" episode—then I think a lot of people might agree that, while the ban might not hurt Ferdinand much, the education programme is very much needed.

Patrick Barclay is an award-winning football journalist and best-selling author, whose portfolio includes biographies on Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson and Herbert Chapman.