Rio Ferdinand trolled over death of his wife Rebecca by supporters of John Terry on Twitter

Tragic: Rio and Rebecca in 2009

Grieving footballer Rio Ferdinand has been trolled on Twitter by John Terry fans following the tragic death of his wife.
The QPR defender lost his 34-year-old spouse Rebecca to cancer on Friday evening following a short battle with the illness.
Chelsea captain Terry was involved in a race row with Ferdinand's brother Anton, which led to a chequered relationship between the former England centre-back team-mates.
Moments after the former Manchester United defender announced the news, one user tweeted: "Rio accused an innocent man of racism - it's karma."
The tweet was retweeted four times and favourited twice.

@_EH10_ rio accused an innocent man of racism its karma

— A \_ i (@rollercostaV2) May 2, 2015

A Chelsea fan, who has since deleted his account, tweeted: "Rio's wife dying is better than winning the Premier League."
Another, whose handle is @ChelseaRacists, tweeted: "Rio Ferdinand - we want him dead."

@_EH10_ Rio Ferdinand WE WANT HIM DEAD.

— JT26 (@ChelseaRacists) May 2, 2015

The users were widely condemned for the tweets, with their behaviour being branded "awful", and some threatened to report the tweets.
Terry himself came out in support of Rio in the aftermath of Chelsea's victory over Crystal Palace - which saw them seal the Premier League title.

 

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He said: "I would like, on behalf of myself and everyone at Chelsea, to send our condolences to Rio Ferdinand and his family."
Rio announced the death in a statement on Saturday morning.
The 36-year-old said: "My soul mate slipped away last night. Rebecca, my wonderful wife, passed away peacefully after a short battle with cancer at the Royal Marsden Hospital in London.

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Support: Manchester United fans applaud in support of Ferdinand

"She was a fantastic loving mother to our three beautiful children. She will be missed as a wife, sister, aunt, daughter and granddaughter. She will live on in our memory, as a guide and inspiration.
"Myself, my parents Janice and Julian, along with Rebecca's parents Lesley and Stephen, would like to thank our families, friends and my club colleagues who have rallied around in these desperate days, weeks and months.
"I would also like to express my gratitude for the dedication and expertise of the staff led by Professors Johnstone and Clarke at the Royal Marsden.
"Their valiant efforts to prolong Rebecca's all-too-short life will not be forgotten.
"Our grief, as a family, is total. We would appreciate being allowed to mourn privately."