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Chelsea defender John Terry has decided not to appeal the Football Association’s four-match ban that he was given for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in the English Premier League last season.
Terry was found guilty for calling Ferdinand a “f—ing black c—” and banned for four matches – a decision that it seemed the England international would appeal.
However, the Blues defender will not appeal the decision, or the £220,000 fine that he was issued – apologising for the incident and his actions in The Daily Mail.
“I want to take this opportunity to apologise to everyone for the language I used in the game against Queens Park Rangers last October. 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…”
The decision not to appeal means that Terry will miss the West London club’s next four fixtures, which include the upcoming London derby against Tottenham Hotspur this weekend.
He will also miss Chelsea’s match against Manchester United – both in the English Premier League and the Capital One Cup – and will be absent from their match against Swansea City, though he will be available to face Shakhtar Donetsk in their UEFA Champions League fixture.
Terry’s decision not to appeal will likely have further consequences for both him individually as well as the club, who will have to make a decision as to what line of action they will take on Terry, who has officially been found guilty of racist comments.
The veteran defender stated that he had said the comments sarcastically, but the FA had deemed his defence was “improbable, implausible and contrived”, and will now have to face time on the sidelines as a result.
Chelsea are yet to release a statement on the matter.
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