Rio Ferdinand. The name conjures up a myriad of emotions and thoughts for soccer fans, both positive and negative. A flamboyant and contentious personality like Ferdinand is bound to be divisive, and it often seems that the majority of fans (not just fans of rival teams) dislike Ferdinand. What is it about Ferdinand that is so easy to hate? Let’s look at some of the evidence.
1. He’s Loud – Ferdinand, as a center-back, has always had a reputation for leading from the back and shouting instructions to his team. This has always been one of his best skills, and all the trophies he won at Manchester United backs that up. But that loud, brash, outspoken manner has gotten him into trouble on a few occasions, and his lack of hesitation in squaring up to an opponent has put Ferdinand into the bad books of fans of nearly every club in England. Ferdinand’s passion often boils into angry outbursts, such as the time he kicked a female steward on accident whilst throwing a tantrum after a match at Stamford Bridge. Ferdinand also occasionally allows his temper to get the best of him during matches, having once been charged with violent conduct for elbowing Hull City’s Craig Fagan.
2. He’s an Obnoxious Tweeter – Having spent much of the last few seasons on the bench or the injury table, Ferdinand has really started gearing up for retirement by building up his social media presence. By that I mean, he tweets a lot. Much of it is barely readable and inane, and he really enjoys getting into Twitter rows with people, like recently fired CNN host Piers Morgan. The soccer world rolls its collective eyes at Ferdinand and his constant blathering and hocking of his “products,” but we all follow him so that we are sure not to miss gems like this. Oh, he also got dead last in an ESPNFC study of footballers’ vocabulary on Twitter.
3. He Constantly Dregs Up Old Controversies – The John Terry-Anton Ferdinand and Luis Suarez-Patrice Evra racism incidents were unfortunate, complex, and most importantly, over. Rio understandably holds stock in the former incident as it concerns his brother, but both incidents should be done and dusted by now. With the release of Ferdinand’s book, he’s taken the opportunity to bring all of it back into the spotlight with him. Since that’s all he’s talked about, I’m guessing it’s the most interesting part of his book? Regardless, his sniping at John Terry is at this point rather contrived and selfish. In Ferdinand’s mind, it’s impossible that maybe his England career ended because he wasn’t good enough, rather than because Roy Hodgson thought he couldn’t work with Terry.
4. He’s a Hypocrite – Ferdinand has been involved in a number of controversial incidents off the pitch, some of which paint him in a rather hypocritical light. Ferdinand called a DJ a “faggot” once, but quickly apologized after realizing he was live on the radio. In what could be deemed the ultimate Rio Ferdinand incident, the player tweeted about former England teammate Ashley Cole and his involvement in the John Terry case, using the racist slang term “choc ice.” Ferdinand was later charged and fined for the offensive tweet.
5. The List Goes On – Many of these cases are likely the cause for Ferdinand’s rather low standing in the eyes of most soccer fans. The most high profile of them, the John Terry case, surely sealed the deal for most. But Ferdinand’s transgressions don’t stop there. He’s been involved in a number of illegal situations, from the football-related (missed a doping test, saying he “forgot”), to the stupid (more driving bans than can be counted), to potentially serious criminal allegations (drunkenly fighting and destruction of property, improper behavior towards women in a nightclub).
Rio Ferdinand was a great servant to Manchester United and England, but his personality and antics over the years have limited most fans’ respect of him. He’ll have to settle for United fans; that is, unless he runs out of topics and decides to go after them next.
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Cody
October 6, 2014 at 9:24 am
I don’t mind Rio, even though I’m an Arsenal supporter, and he should have been sent off for his American football style tackle on Ljungberg when they ended our unbeaten run.
Rio has one massive thing going for him that I do love…..He isn’t John Terry.
EDub
October 5, 2014 at 4:24 pm
I understand this is why the writer doesn’t like Rio.
However, I’m curious about why he thinks that his opinions map to all other fans.
I’m sure you can find an Arsenal supporter who can write the same article about J. Terry, etc.
Why?
October 5, 2014 at 5:58 pm
Are you saying that cos Terry’s white and outspoken? Nah, he a nob just like Rio
Tony
October 5, 2014 at 1:54 pm
What a completely stupid article, not what I expect from this site.
Paul
October 5, 2014 at 10:29 am
@Mark
Like i said you prove my point by eventually saying i was playing the “race card” which is also one of your gripes against Ferdinand. The irony of course is that it’s always the same type of people who are always accusing people of using the “race card”. People like to use when you call them on their bullsh1t. Poster jtm371 was quick to mention Sharpton and Jesse Jackson(got applauded for his comment too), which cement my original statement and the problem people have with Rio Ferdinand.
jtm371
October 5, 2014 at 10:54 am
Paul
Your way to smart for us so go find the mensa EPLTALK site and leave all us knuckle dragging Neanderthals alone.CHEERS.
Why?
October 5, 2014 at 5:53 pm
Paul you got put in ya place, or as Rio would say ‘you got merked’ what ever that means!
Flamethrower
October 5, 2014 at 8:19 am
This could be a regular feature.
5 reasons why I hate
Or
is a
Frill Artist
October 5, 2014 at 1:58 am
The writer is a Loserpool supporter. Go figure!
Frill Artist
October 5, 2014 at 1:55 am
You are an idiot clearly lacking in the IQ department and your so called article proves it.
Mufc77
October 5, 2014 at 12:58 am
You must be related to our other lovable writer kartik.
Paul
October 4, 2014 at 10:01 pm
you forgot the #1 reason:
HE’S BLACK and OUTSPOKEN. You are not supposed to be black and outspoken. The only reason a fan can say they dont like Rio is because he was a United player. I think you should be allowed that bias as an opposing fan. But anything else is just another way to dislike him because He’s black and speaks his mind.
So since i pointed the racist undertones, why dont you go accuse me of using the race card to further prove my point?? *LoL*
Flyvanescence
October 4, 2014 at 11:21 pm
Well, sir, you’ve done just that.
And for your information, I dislike him: because he played for United and says stupid stuff. Nothing to do with the colour of his skin. I prefer to ignore that as skin tone means absolutely nothing.
Paul
October 4, 2014 at 11:35 pm
what stupid stuff does he say? come on now, any argument used to dislike ferdinand besides him being a (former)united player is b/c he’s black and outspoken. It’s 2014 now, we are well acquainted with codewords that make it possible for people to be prejudicial without actually being explicit about it.
Flyvanescence
October 5, 2014 at 9:06 am
Stupid stuff:
– whining about having to go to bed early on New Years Eve because he had a game the next day
-mocking the empty seats at the Etihad at the Roma game last week, when the reason was the tickets are priced so high most of the season ticket holders cant afford them, among other pertinent reasons.
– this article mentions a few other things. Now please go bother someone else with your racist agenda.
Paul
October 5, 2014 at 10:18 am
so thats the reasons to hate a player?? it makes no sense.
Why?
October 5, 2014 at 5:45 pm
Who mentoned hate? Dislike and that’s more than right he’s a bufoon and he’s mixed race pal not black or white, people like you cause all sorts of problem you’re a tool!
Goal Line Technology
October 5, 2014 at 9:45 pm
I want to express my opinion but there’s no room to do so.
Mark
October 5, 2014 at 4:22 am
I dislike Ferdinand for the same reason I dislike all sub-literate loudmouths who confuse being obnoxious with being opinionated. Being “outspoken” means nothing when you have the vocabulary of a 5th grader.
I also dislike him because he thinks race baiting is a form of social activism. Which is exactly why I dislike Paul.
Mark
October 5, 2014 at 4:27 am
“So since i pointed the racist undertones…”
>>> You did no such thing, genius. You merely alleged them like the hacky race baiter that you are so you could then get on your soap box and claim your imaginary moral high ground.
Paul
October 5, 2014 at 6:21 am
You could have just accused me of using the dreaded “race card” instead of doing it in a roundabout. Then again, i’m not surprised…LoL. U proved my point though “genius!”.
Mark
October 5, 2014 at 6:58 am
You don’t have a ‘point’, little one. You’re just another clueless dolt who thinks playing the race card finished off with a “lol” counts as having an opinion.
But on the bright side your writing is slightly better than Rio’s. And by that I mean you write like an 8th grader instead of a 6-year-old.
Paul
October 5, 2014 at 7:44 am
“race card” ding ding ding!! we have winner.
*cheers.
Mark
October 5, 2014 at 7:50 am
Race card indeed, Skippy. But as always it was played by a loser.
(Don’t forget the lol next time)
jtm371
October 5, 2014 at 9:03 am
Paul
Al and Jesse what their card back.
Jake
October 5, 2014 at 9:06 am
Cheeky Bastard. This is in your top 10 ten comments JTM.
norwalkvirus
October 4, 2014 at 9:45 pm
I think people don’t like him because he’s rather unlikeable.
Alex Riley
October 4, 2014 at 8:59 pm
This is such a bad article it’s laughable. “He’s loud” is a reason people don’t like him? He’s a professional footballer, what do you expect? “The list goes on” –you put a lot of thought into that point I see.
Smokey Bacon
October 4, 2014 at 8:34 pm
Is that you Ken?
Utter, utter BS of the highest order.