Bridge snubs Terry's handshake

12 April 2012

Wayne Bridge made a public display of his ill-feeling towards John Terry when he spurned the offer of a handshake from the Chelsea captain.

The Manchester City player then helped his side to a surprise 4-2 victory at Stamford Bridge.

All eyes were on the footballers as they came face to face for the first time since reports that married Terry, 29, was alleged to have had an affair with his former teammate's ex-girlfriend.

As the off-pitch tension built up, Bridge snubbed Terry during the Fair Play handshake routine. The 29-year-old left back shook hands with the rest of the Chelsea team but he trailed his hand underneath Terry's outstretched hand, refusing to make contact apart from an icy stare.

The ritual was introduced by the Premier League two seasons ago as part of the Get On With The Game campaign to encourage acceptable behaviour.

Such was the interest in the interaction between Terry and Bridge that viewers of Sky Sports' live coverage of the game were able to see the crucial moments before kick-off.

Usually, the broadcaster would screen adverts during the routine and return to the pitch for the main action - but timings were altered to make sure nothing was missed.

The clash came just 48 hours after Bridge withdrew from England's World Cup plans in the wake of allegations about Terry and lingerie model Vanessa Perroncel, the mother of Bridge's three-year-old son.

Bridge endured boos from the home side fans every time he touched the ball, although there was applause from some Chelsea supporters when he was substituted three quarters of the way through the match.

Goalscorer Craig Bellamy took a swipe at Terry after his side's win during a post-match interview. Asked if Bridge's experience had "galvanised" Manchester City, the striker told Sky Sports: "You guys (the media) make a lot more of it you know. I know what JT is like and nothing surprises me about it, so I'm not going to comment on that. I think everybody in football knows what the guy is like, but that's off the field."

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