A club official told media not to ask about the ongoing situation involving the club skipper at the post-match press conference for fear it could prejudice a Football Association investigation. The governing body are currently looking into allegations that Terry racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during a controversial Premier League match at Loftus Road last weekend. The Metropolitan Police are also looking into the matter following an anonymous complaint from a member of the public. Terry was himself out of the firing line as Villas-Boas opted not to play him at Goodison Park on Wednesday night. The 30-year-old did not even travel to Merseyside but his absence had more to do with the fact he is only one booking away from a suspension. Another yellow card in a relatively low-key game, which Chelsea won 2-1 after extra time, would have earned him a suspension for this weekend's league clash against Arsenal. Terry has vehemently denied the accusations against him and has welcomed the FA probe as an opportunity to clear his name. His club have also vowed to back him and Villas-Boas did dedicate his side's latest win to him. The Portuguese told Sky Sports News: "It is the spirit of the players that took us through and I think all the players would like to dedicate it to John Terry." The video footage which sparked the storm shows Ashley Cole walking past Terry as he utters the words which some have interpreted as a racist slur. Terry has admitted using the language but claimed he was actually responding to an accusation of racist abuse from Ferdinand and was simply denying using those words. Terry and Ferdinand spoke after Sunday's game to clear the air, leading the former to presume that was the end of the matter until internet postings of the footage brought it to the fore. It is understood Ferdinand has told QPR he was entirely unaware of any race row until after Sunday's match had finished. It is this uncertainty that prompted Rangers to ask the FA, who launched their investigation on Tuesday, to get to the bottom of the matter. The FA are adopting an innocent-until-proven-guilty policy and have no plans to suspend Terry as England skipper pending the outcome of their inquiry. There is no guarantee he will play in next month's friendlies against Spain and Sweden, however, as manager Fabio Capello considers blooding some less experienced players. That could also mean Rio Ferdinand not being selected, sparing the FA the potentially embarrassing situation of Terry playing alongside Anton Ferdinand's brother in defence.
