Rio Ferdinand has revealed his relationship with former England team-mate John Terry has never improved after the former Chelsea captain allegedly racially abused his brother Anton in 2011.
The incident occurred during a game between QPR and Chelsea and although Terry was cleared by Westminster Magistrates' Court - who found insufficient evidence to charge the Englishman - he was subsequently banned for four matches and fined £220,000 by the FA.
[Rio] Ferdinand - whose relationship with Terry was significantly impacted by the incident - has revealed time has not healed the wound, adding he wishes he had spoken out at the time.
Asked in an interview with The Beautiful Game Podcast whether his relationship with Terry had improved, Ferdinand said: "No. The John Terry and my brother's situation, if I could rewind the clock back now, I would have spoken out from day one and said to my brother, 'speak now'.
"We were advised, you have to remember, there were lawyers in the background, representing the club, the League, the PFA, the FA, so you had all these different people talking saying what's right, what's best for you, and you get in this cloud, this bubble, you just take on the professional advice.
"You don't want to be selfish, and end up being quiet in the background hoping the situation plays out how it should. The facts are there for people to see.
"The problem is, we did it from a pure heart. Our hearts are pure in this situation, but not everyone is like that. When your heart is pure and you don't speak out, you get punished. I've worked that out now.
"You're the ones that get punished and tarnished. You're the ones that get labelled. Whether that's because you don't speak or because you're black, I don't know. I just think now, I would speak straightaway. I'd tell him [Anton], speak now."
