Ferdinand break silence on gang threat
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Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has lifted the lid on the confrontation outside his house during new contract talks last year.
In his new book, Rio My Story, being serialised in the The Sun, Ferdinand wrote: "I was in the house on my own watching TV one night when the door buzzer rang.
"I have security cameras which show who's at the front gate but I couldn't see anyone.
"When the buzzer went again I went to the entryphone and the bloke at the gate said: 'Is Rio Ferdinand there?' so I said, 'Who's speaking if you want to speak to him?'
"He goes, 'Oh just a couple of people who want to talk about signing the contract.'
"I told him to get his hand off the camera and he's going, 'Can you just come out here and speak to us?' I put the phone down and he rang the buzzer again. I was angry by now that he was taking liberties at my home and grabbed a stick about a metre long to defend myself with if it came to it.
"I went out the side door and like Spiderman, jumped on to a wall so I could look over the gate and screamed, 'What do you want?' There must have been more than 20 geezers with baseball caps and hoods on.
"It was scary but I was high on adrenaline and there was no backing down now. They'd been drinking in a nearby pub and I could smell the booze on them. I went, 'Take your hoods off. I want to see your faces.'
"They did, after I promised I wouldn't go to the police, and then they said, 'We're Man United supporters and we think the Glazers are taking over our club, taking our money.
"'They're going to raise prices and you won't sign your new contract because they won't give you £170,000 a week.'
"I replied: 'For one I've not asked for that kind of money and for two, how many times have I said I'm going to sign for United? What more do you want?' They ran off when they heard the police sirens after one of the neighbours had made the call.
"But not before they thanked me for having the balls to come out and talk to them!"
In his new book, Rio My Story, being serialised in the The Sun, Ferdinand wrote: "I was in the house on my own watching TV one night when the door buzzer rang.
"I have security cameras which show who's at the front gate but I couldn't see anyone.
"When the buzzer went again I went to the entryphone and the bloke at the gate said: 'Is Rio Ferdinand there?' so I said, 'Who's speaking if you want to speak to him?'
"He goes, 'Oh just a couple of people who want to talk about signing the contract.'
"I told him to get his hand off the camera and he's going, 'Can you just come out here and speak to us?' I put the phone down and he rang the buzzer again. I was angry by now that he was taking liberties at my home and grabbed a stick about a metre long to defend myself with if it came to it.
"I went out the side door and like Spiderman, jumped on to a wall so I could look over the gate and screamed, 'What do you want?' There must have been more than 20 geezers with baseball caps and hoods on.
"It was scary but I was high on adrenaline and there was no backing down now. They'd been drinking in a nearby pub and I could smell the booze on them. I went, 'Take your hoods off. I want to see your faces.'
"They did, after I promised I wouldn't go to the police, and then they said, 'We're Man United supporters and we think the Glazers are taking over our club, taking our money.
"'They're going to raise prices and you won't sign your new contract because they won't give you £170,000 a week.'
"I replied: 'For one I've not asked for that kind of money and for two, how many times have I said I'm going to sign for United? What more do you want?' They ran off when they heard the police sirens after one of the neighbours had made the call.
"But not before they thanked me for having the balls to come out and talk to them!"
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