John Terry facing £1m defence bill

John Terry's race row with Anton Ferdinand could end up costing him up to £1m in legal fees, according to a report.

The England defender will enlist the help of £10,000-a-day QC George Carter-Stephenson to help him fight an FA change of racial abuse towards the Queens Park Rangers player, the Daily Mail understands.

Carter-Stephenson successfully defended Terry against the same charge at Westminster Magistrates' Court over the summer, and the Chelsea skipper is hoping to clear his name when the governing body investigates the incident.

Terry stands accused of using racially-abusive language towards the QPR defender when Chelsea visited Loftus Road last October.

His Chelsea teammate Ashley Cole has agreed to give evidence in his defence during the FA's probe, as has former Blues assistant manager Ray Wilkins.

The FA have employed a lip-reading expert to analyse footage of the exchange between Terry and Ferdinand.