John Terry racism trial: Ashley Cole defends teammate

Ashley Cole said there was always abuse between certain players on the pitch

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole has told a court his teammate John Terry should not have been put on trial over alleged racial abuse.

Mr Terry, 31, denies racially insulting QPR's Anton Ferdinand.

When asked by the prosecution about the case, Mr Cole replied: "We shouldn't be sitting here."

Mr Terry, who is appearing at Westminster Magistrates' Court, has also received backing from Jose Mourinho.

In a written statement, the former Chelsea manager said: "I'm certain John Terry is not a racist."

Mr Cole told the court there is always abuse between certain players.

The England full back said that in the dressing room after the Loftus Road match last October he saw Mr Terry ask Mr Ferdinand whether he thought he was being racist on the pitch.

He added the conversation ended with a handshake between the two players.

Mr Cole denied Mr Ferdinand was only brought into the changing room because they were aware of YouTube footage of the incident.

'Elaborate flannel'

Former Chelsea coach Ray Wilkins has told the court Mr Terry handled himself in training sessions with "great aplomb" and said he never saw him get involved in disagreements.

Meanwhile, in written statements, former Chelsea player Salomon Kalou said: "I've never heard John Terry use any form of racist language."

This statement was supported by other players including Petr Cech, Jose Bosingwa, Fernando Torres, Frank Lampard and Raul Meireles.

Earlier, the court heard claims that Mr Terry, who denies a racially-aggravated public order offence, had "lost it" and was annoyed as his team struggled in the match.

Prosecutor Duncan Penny claimed the former-England captain had had enough of being "humiliated in public".

He also put it to Mr Terry that he had made a remark about having sex with Mr Ferdinand's girlfriend, in response to taunts about his alleged affair with a team-mate's ex-partner.

Mr Terry told the court that he had merely repeated the words that Mr Ferdinand mistakenly thought he had used.

The prosecution also accused Mr Terry of creating an "elaborate flannel" to extricate himself from the charge.

He said he had been "keen" to speak to police about the alleged racist abuse because he "knew there was nothing out there that would show that I had done anything wrong".

But Mr Penny said: "You knew you'd crossed the line, you've regretted it ever since, and you're stuck with this story."

The allegations centre around a game at Loftus Road in October

Mr Terry replied: "No."

When the prosecution asked why he put out a statement rather than contacting Mr Ferdinand's family, he said he tried to speak to Mr Ferdinand's brother Rio - Mr Terry's England teammate - but that Rio would not take his call.

The court has been shown television footage of the incident in slow motion.

On Tuesday Mr Terry said that he was "very angry and upset" at being accused of racism.

The magistrate has said that if the trial finishes on Thursday, he will probably reach a verdict by Friday afternoon, however he has not ruled out making a decision on Saturday.

The trial continues.