Terry decides not to appeal against ban
John Terry has decided not to appeal against his four-match ban for racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.
An FA-appointed independent panel last month found the Chelsea captain guilty of racially abusing Ferdinand during the west London derby on 23 October last year.
Terry, who was also fined £220,000, had two weeks to contest the verdict.
He was cleared in July by Westminster Magistrates’ Court of racially abusing Ferdinand.
But the FA then took its own action, with the panel subsequently describing the player’s defence as “improbable, implausible and contrived” and said they were “satisfied” his comments were used as an insult.
The panel also stressed Terry, 31, “is not a racist”.
In a statement, Terry said: “I want to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone for the language I used in the game.
“Although I’m disappointed with the FA judgment, I accept that the language I used, regardless of the context, is not acceptable on the football field or indeed in any walk of life.
“As I stated in the criminal case, with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate reaction to the situation for someone in my position.
“My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club, and by me, and it will not happen again.”
His suspension will begin immediately, meaning he will now miss Chelsea’s matches against Tottenham, Manchester United – in both the Premier League and League Cup – and Swansea.
Terry added: “I will continue to do my part in assisting the club to remove all types of discriminatory behaviour from football.
“I am extremely grateful for the consistent support of Chelsea FC, the fans and my family.”
Terry has also been disciplined by Chelsea but the club is keeping the details of its action confidential.
Meanwhile, Ashley Cole has been fined £90,000 for using an expletive on Twitter to describe the FA after the Terry case.
The Chelsea and England left-back’s tweet came after the validity of his evidence to the FA commission was questioned.
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