Rio Ferdinand has defended himself on Twitter after he was criticised for reacting to a message which referred to Ashley Cole as a "choc ice".
The Manchester United defender took to Twitter to deny accusations of racism.
"What I said yesterday is not a racist term. It’s a type of slang/term used by many for someone who is being fake. So there," Ferdinand said.
The Twitter row follows former England captain John Terry’s acquittal over allegations that he called Ferdinand’s brother Anton a "f****** black c***" during a match on October 23 last year.
Cole, 31, had told Terry’s trial that his Stamford Bridge captain, who is also a friend, was not a racist. Cole, who also told the court he was a long-standing friend of the Ferdinand brothers, was on Friday accused by a person who sent a tweet to Rio Ferdinand of being a "choc ice".
The person wrote: "Looks like Ashley Cole's going to be their choc ice.
Then again he's always been a sell out. Shame on him." Ferdinand replied to the Twitter message, saying, "I hear you fella! Choc ice is classic! hahahahahahha!!" "Choc ice" is a term commonly understood to mean "black on the outside, white on the inside".
Twitter users were quick to begin discussing the comments, prompting Ferdinand to write: "And if I want to laugh at something someone tweets....I will! Hahahahaha!
Now stop getting ya knickers in a twist!" Cole moved to calm the situation down and issued a statement through his lawyers.
It said: "Ashley Cole has been made aware of the discussion following comments appearing on Twitter and wishes to make it clear that he and Rio Ferdinand are good friends and Ashley has no intention of making any sort of complaint.
"Ashley appreciates that tweeting is so quick it often results in off-hand and stray comments." Ferdinand’s "choc ice" response has since been deleted.
Terry won his court battle on Friday when Chief Magistrate Howard Riddle told Westminster Magistrates' Court that an acquittal was the only verdict he could reach.
A conviction would have spelled the end of Terry's international career, destroyed his reputation and potentially cost him a fortune in sponsorship and other deals.
The district judge said, despite the abundance of TV footage, there was no way to be sure what Terry had said.
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