[Tank:] Hi again. One of the world's top footballers says he will fight tooth and nail against charges of hurling racist abuse. England and Chelsea captain John Terry is to be charged over an incident during a match in October. This came after a recommendation from Britain's Crown Prosecution Service. It concerns comments the Chelsea footballer allegedly made to Queens Park Rangers player Anton Ferdinand back in October. He said in a statement and here it is for you "I'm disappointed with the decision to charge me and hope to clear my name as quickly as possible. I've never aimed a racist remark at anyone and count people from all races and creeds among my closest friends." And then Terry went on to say a little bit more, and here we have it for you. "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." So, the question is being asked, is there an ugly side to what football fans call the beautiful game? Racism on the pitch has been put in the spotlight this week. CNN's Dan Rivers talks to football officials and players to ask whether racial abuse can be booted out of the sport.
[Dan Rivers, Cnn Sr. International Correspondent:] It's been a bleak week in the world's most watched football league. The corrosive allegations of racism rather than the game itself have dominated the headlines. Two separate incidents; punishment handed down for one, an unprecedented eight-match ban for Luis Suarez, charges brought for another, John Terry. An ugly end of year for the "beautiful game."
[Gordon Taylor, Professional Footballers' Assn:] That's been unfortunate, but it's also been a sign of how seriously we now take these issues. And that was illustrated a few years ago now when the England team went to Spain and there was general national abhorrence of the way the Spanish crowd were abusing our black players, and similarly, just recently in Bulgaria. So it would be naive to say it's been eradicated, because it's not.
[Rivers:] In the past, racism on the terraces was routine. Black players endured a torrent of abuse simply because of the color of their skin.
[Brendon Batson, Fmr. Player:] I do think that the authorities just ignored it, they didn't see the significance of it. If you threw a brick within a crowd, police were in there, grabbing all of you, turfing you out, et cetera, et cetera. But if you were just giving abuse to black players, well, it doesn't matter.
[Rivers:] A lot of progress has been made trying to stamp out racism in English football. The terrible jaunts from the terraces in the 1980s are now thankfully largely a thing of the past, thanks to zero tolerance policing. But is racism among some players still a problem?
[Danny Lynch, "kick It Out" Anti-racism Campaign:] The way football is, is that it's a mass spectator's sport. And given the people the sheer amount of people that either watch the game, follow the game, or work in the game worldwide, means that you are always going to have people with certain prejudices that will have the opportunity to bring to the fore.
[Rivers:] But some think the behavior of the players informs the behavior of the fans.
[Viv Anderson, Fmr. Player:] If supporters see players racially abusing other players, what sort of message does that send to them? So it starts with the players. You know, and end of the field, I think it's really, really important that they tow the line, yes.
[Rivers:] Borne out by fans we spoke to in London.
[Unidentified Male:] You can fine a player for racially abusing another player. You can fine them for that sends a strong message to other players not to be racist. I think England this day is a multicultural country. You know, people from all walks of life and continents and different parts of the world are all supporting their clubs. And I think it has to be stamped out.
[Rivers:] The John Terry incident will now be meticulously analyzed in a court case, but whatever the outcome, the damage to the reputation to the game is already done. Dan Rivers, CNN, London.
[Tank:] Well, as Dan said, the charges against Terry came just a day after Luis Suarez was banned for racial abuse. Just ahead here on NEWS STREAM
[Rep. Michele Bachmann , Presidential Candidate:] With the death of Kim Jong-il, we know that North Korea, it has effectively acted as the Wal-Mart of missile delivery systems.
[Tank:] First, Rick Perry. Now Republican candidate Michele Bachmann creates a stir with her choice of words on the campaign trail. We'll have more on what she said and why it's making headlines.