Racism:Terry banned for abusing Ferdinand

CHELSEA captain John Terry has been banned for four matches by the FA for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand.The former England skipper ' who retired from international football on the eve of the hearing at the FA's Wembley headquarters ' has also been fined 220,000 after being found guilty of the charge by an independent regulatory panel.Terry was adjudged to have used "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour" towards Ferdinand which included "a reference to colour and/or race contrary to FA Rule E3[2]" during Chelsea's 1-0 Premier League defeat at Loftus Road on October 23, 2011.The legal team acting for the 31-year-old, who has always denied the charge, has confirmed that the defender is considering an appeal against the decision, reached after a four-day hearing.A statement read: "Terry is disappointed that the FA Regulatory Commission has reached a different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law."He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."Terry has 14 days to appeal within receipt of the FA panel's written judgement, which is expected to be published early next week.The suspension and fine are suspended until the outcome of any appeal, meaning Terry is still available to play for Chelsea for their next few games at least. The European champions' next fixture is against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.Terry was found not guilty in a magistrates' court in July of a racially-motivated public order offence with the prosecution unable to prove he had called Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" as an insult. Terry admitted using the words, but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.However, the burden of proof of the FA's own action was lower than that of the magistrate. Terry has been found guilty on the balance of probabilities, rather than the measure of beyond reasonable doubt used by the law courts.A statement from Chelsea read: "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.
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