England captain John Terry will be charged with the alleged racial abuse of QPR's Anton Ferdinand.

The Crown Prosecution Service say there is sufficient evidence for the Chelsea star to face trial over alleged comments to the defender in a Barclays Premier League match at Loftus Road on October 23.

Alison Saunders, Chief Crown Prosecutor for London said:

“I have today advised the Metropolitan Police Service that John Terry should be prosecuted for a racially aggravated public order offence following comments allegedly made during a Premier League football match between Queen’s Park Rangers and Chelsea on 23 October 2011.

“The decision was taken in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors and after careful consideration of all the evidence, I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute this case.

“Mr Terry will appear before West London Magistrates’ Court on 1 February 2012.

“He is now summonsed with a criminal offence and has the right to a fair trial. It is extremely important that nothing should be reported which could prejudice his trial.”

The news comes days after new footage was handed to prosecutors, who have been considering whether there is enough evidence to bring charges against the footballer.

• Barcelona striker hurt in semi-final win over Al-Sadd
• Injury set to rule him out of Spain's Euro 2012 squad



The Barcelona striker David Villa faces up to six months out of the game after breaking his left leg in Barcelona's Fifa Club World Cup semi-final win over Al-Sadd in Yokohama.

"David has fractured his leg and will return to Barcelona for an operation as soon as possible," their coach Pep Guardiola said. "We are all very sad for him. He's a charming personality and it's a massive blow for the team.

"He will be out for a long time: I don't know how long but it takes a long time to return after a break like this. All the players are very worried about David. We hope he will return as soon as possible. Our thoughts are with him and we will have to win the Club World Cup without him."

Villa, who had been linked with a multi-million pound move to England in the January transfer window, suffered a fractured tibia while challenging for a ball in the Al-Sadd penalty area. He was taken to the Yokohama Rosa hospital.

The injury means Spain are likely to be without their leading striker for the defence of their title at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. The 30-year-old is Spain's all-time top scorer with 50 goals in 81 appearances.

"We are going to miss Villa," the Barcelona midfielder Thiago Alcantara said. "We hope it isn't too bad. When you play you never think that these things can happen. It was bad luck." He added: "There is a long way to go [until Euro 2012]." Barcelona won the game comfortably 4-0, and will face Santos in the final on Sunday. The Brazilian defender Adriano scored twice in the first half – his opener helped by a moment of hesitation from the Al-Sadd goalkeeper Mohamed Saqr. After the break, Seydou Keita and Maxwell added another two to complete a comprehensive win.

On Wednesday Guardiola had denied the club had been actively trying to sell the 30-year-old Villa only 19 months into the four-year deal agreed following his €40m (£33.5m) transfer from Valencia.

Villa scored five times in 15 league appearances this season, following his 18 goals in 34 games as Barça won the Primera División title last season.

source