John Terry handed four-match ban and fined £220,000 by FA over ‘racist outburst’

JOHN Terry has been handed a £220,000 fine and a four-match ban by the Football Association after it found he did racially abuse Queen’s Park Rangers’ Anton Ferdinand during a game.

The Chelsea skipper had denied the charge but the FA’s independent regulatory commission decided he was guilty of misconduct during the Barclays Premier League defeat at QPR last October. The fine is thought to be just over a week’s wages.

In July, Terry, 31, was cleared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court of racially abusing Ferdinand.

Terry is said to be considering an appeal against yesterday’s FA ruling, but questions have been asked over why the ban imposed was only half the length of that faced by Liverpool’s Luis Suarez, who served an eight-match suspension for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra.

Senior figures in football’s anti-racism movements have privately queried the difference but are unlikely to speak publicly until the appeals process is completed.

Terry expressed disappointment after the outcome, pointing out he had been found not guilty in a magistrates court of a racially motivated public order offence in connection with the same incident.

His representative, Elite Management, said in a statement on his behalf: “Mr Terry is disappointed that the FA regulatory commission has reached 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 had been accused of calling Ferdinand a “f****** black c***”. He admitted using the words, but insisted he had only been repeating what he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.

The written reasons will also provide the explanation for the difference in length of ban compared with Suarez.

The most likely explanation is that Terry uttered the insult only once, while Suarez was judged by his panel to have called Evra “negro” up to seven times. Suarez was also fined about a week’s wages – in his case, £40,000.

Terry is likely to be available to play for Chelsea against Arsenal tomorrow as the ban does not start until after the appeals process has been concluded.

He has 14 days from the receipt of the written reasons for the decision, and if he does appeal, that hearing may not take place until the end of next month.

That could see the Chelsea captain and central defender still being available for the club’s other Premier League matches in October against Norwich, Tottenham and Manchester United.

Chelsea issued a statement saying it “respected” the verdict – a different response to the stance taken by Liverpool over Suarez.

Its statement said: “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 case centred around an incident during Chelsea’s defeat at QPR last year when Terry and Ferdinand clashed verbally on a number of occasions.

The FA’s decision to press ahead with their own charges infuriated Terry to the extent that on Sunday, on the eve of the disciplinary hearing, he announced he was quitting international football with immediate effect, saying his position was “untenable”.

The FA have not provided any details about the decision, a statement merely laying out the outcome.

The FA said in a statement: “An independent regulatory commission has today found a charge of misconduct against John Terry proven and has issued a suspension for a period of four matches and a fine of £220,000, pending appeal.”