England and Chelsea captain John Terry will be charged with racially abusing Queens Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand, the Crown Prosecution Service said today.
Terry has already responded and has vowed to clear his name.
Earlier, the Crown Prosecution Service confirmed their intention to prosecute Terry over remarks he made during an altercation with Ferdinand during a match at Loftus Road in October.
"I am disappointed with the decision to charge me and hope to be given the chance to clear my name as quickly as possible," said Terry.
Terry was caught on camera making a remark, although claimed he was merely repeating an accusation he felt had been made by Ferdinand.
"I have never aimed a racist remark at anyone and count people from all races and creeds among my closest friends," he added.
"I will fight tooth and nail to prove my innocence. I have campaigned against racism and believe there is no place for it in society."
The Football Association are yet to respond to the latest development, although it potentially puts them in a tricky position.
They opted to stand by Terry for the most recent internationals, with Fabio Capello naming the Chelsea man as skipper for the friendly with over Sweden at Wembley last month.
At the time, Capello said he believed Terry to be innocent until proven guilty.
However, the day after hitting Liverpool's Luis Suarez with an eight-match ban over comments made to Patrice Evra, if Terry is found guilty, he can expect to receive a similar punishment.
Not only that, it would place a major question mark over his captaincy of the national side, an honour he only regained in March after having it stripped from him 13 months earlier due to problems in his private life.
Meanwhile, Chelsea have also issued a statement on the matter, saying that they will stand behind their captain.
The statement in full:
"Chelsea Football Club today received notification that the Crown Prosecution Service has charged John Terry with a racially aggravated public order offence.
"John has made it clear he denies the charge and is determined to do all he can to prove his innocence.
"Chelsea FC has always been fully supportive of John in this matter and will continue to be so.
"The club finds all forms of discrimination abhorrent and we are proud of the work we undertake campaigning on this important issue.
"Chelsea will not be commenting further on the subject while the legal process runs its course."
