League’s endorsement required if handshakes to remain off agenda

Anton Ferdinand was spared having to shake John Terry’s hand in Saturday’s FA Cup tie at Loftus Road after the Football Association gave their blessing to a request for the ritual to be abandoned.

Rangers manager Mark Hughes admitted the FA may have been contacted by both clubs after some of his players indicated they would join Ferdinand in snubbing Terry at Loftus Road.

Ferdinand reportedly spent the week agonising over whether to accept the hand of Terry, who has been charged with racially abusing his fellow defender during October’s league game.

Terry, who denies the charge, is expected to instruct his legal team to enter a not-guilty plea when the court case into the matter begins on Wednesday.

A trial date will then be set, which could be weeks or even months later, meaning the matter could remain unresolved until after Chelsea host QPR in the Barclays Premier League a fortnight before the end of the season.

The position of Rangers players is unlikely to change in the interim, meaning another potential dilemma for all involved.

A Premier League spokesman said that both clubs would need to seek approval for the handshake to be cancelled again.

Meanwhile, the FA are unlikely to punish QPR after a spectator threw the matchball at the back of Ashley Cole during Chelsea’s win.

Referee Mike Dean discussed the incident with a Loftus Road steward and could include it in his official report but it is doubtful Rangers will be sanctioned.

That was a minor flashpoint in a game which was otherwise virtually devoid of the kind of trouble which marred October’s clash.

Police reported no arrests, while Chelsea fans refrained from chants aimed at Ferdinand, amid warnings of ejection and a stadium ban.

Terry himself was subject to merciless booing and tasteless taunts but wisely refused to react.

That left the Blues’ matchwinning penalty as the only game-related controversy, with Daniel Sturridge appearing to make the most of the slightest contact from Clint Hill.

Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas admitted QPR had been hard done by but was far more concerned about a knee injury that saw Ramires carried off on a stretcher and could rule out the midfielder for at least four weeks.

As well as the penalty, Hughes was left to rue his side’s lack of cutting edge and is expected to step up his bid to sign former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse from Lazio.