John Terry banned and fined by FA over Anton Ferdinand incident

Chelsea captain John Terry has been banned for four matches and fined £220,000 for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

The Football Association found Terry guilty following a four-day hearing. 

Analysis

Dan Roan BBC sports news correspondent

"One of the first questions many people will ask is why the Terry ban is so much less than that handed to Luis Suarez of Liverpool last year. We await the written judgement, which will no doubt explain the difference.
"This is a significant day - the end of an 11-month saga, a case that was dragged through the courts. The language, insults and abuse laid bare have made this a really uncomfortable episode for the sport.
"Terry must now live with that stigma, the ignominy of a ban. It's not a career-ending ban, but it will be interesting to see what Chelsea do. Will they suspend him, drop him or back him? The club has a zero-tolerance policy towards racism."

A spokesman for Terry said the player was "disappointed" the FA had reached a "different conclusion" to the "not guilty verdict of a court of law".

In July, the ex-England captain, 31, was cleared by Westminster Magistrates' Court of racially abusing Ferdinand.
The Terry statement continued: "He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."
Terry will have 14 days from receiving the written reasons to decide whether to lodge an appeal. The ban and fine will not come into effect until after the centre-half has decided what to do.
A statement from his club added: "Chelsea Football Club notes and respects today's decision by the Football Association regarding John Terry.
"We also recognise that John has the right to appeal that decision. It is therefore inappropriate for us to comment further on the matter at this time."
The FA charged Terry in July with "using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Ferdinand and which included a reference to colour and/or race contrary to FA Rule E3[2]".
Terry admitted using the word "black" and swearing at Ferdinand in the match at Loftus Road on 23 October 2011 but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought the Rangers defender had accused him of saying.

Play media

MP calls for Terry admission

The FA's decision to press ahead with their own charges led Terry, on the eve of the hearing, to announce he was retiring from international football with immediate effect, saying his position was "untenable".
Terry's legal team argued the governing body's own rules dictated that his acquittal in court meant the case could not proceed but the FA believed their charge was distinct from the court charge.
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was given an eight-match ban when an FA disciplinary panel found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra last season.
The panel stated at that time that simply using racist language was enough to constitute a breach of FA rules.

Source : BBC

Posted in: