Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas has given his backing to captain John Terry over allegations that he called Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand a “bloody rotter” when the two clubs met on Sunday.

A Heidar Helguson penalty gave QPR all three points against nine-man Chelsea but the lion’s share of the fallout has centered around a video clip of Terry apparently hurling a string of broadsides at the lesser of two Ferdinands, including such vicious slurs as “ne’er-do-well”, “scoundrel” and “rapscallion”.

However, Villas-Boas insists that the players have spoken to each other and the matter is now closed, adding that he finds it “strange” that people “don’t trust the words of a representative from your country”.

He said: “I know the camera angle made it look like John was saying ‘I’ll give you a bunch of fives, you fiend’, but what he was actually saying was, ‘Please pass on my most sincere regards to your brother – I trust he is well.’

“After the game, John and Anton went for a meal at La Trompette and spoke merrily of summers past over their fish of the day, which I gather was a really cracking bit of halibut. John told me it was cooked and seasoned to perfection and went just exquisitely with a glass of Sancerre.

“They’re both intelligent and discerning gentlemen so, if there were any cross words exchanged on Sunday, I’m sure they’ll have ironed out their differences by the time the profiteroles arrived.

“Frankly, I’m astonished that anyone could ever question John’s integrity. He’s a national treasure.”

Speaking exclusively to Football Burp, six million Englishmen said simultaneously: “If John Terry is an eminent representative of our country, we can only hope that the sun soon consumes planet Earth in a fiery Armageddon of mercy.”

Looking somewhat surprised by the total uniformity of their proclamations, the six million Englishmen nevertheless added: “I sincerely hope that John Terry’s next s**t is a hedgehog.”