John Terry may have escaped the legal system unscathed for his racial slur at Anton Ferdinand during last season, but he didn’t escape the justice system of the FA, receiving a four game suspension and a £220,000 fine, pending appeal.
The FA charged Terry for using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour towards Anton Ferdinand of QPR in the match with Chelsea on October 23, 2011. The suspensions will be carried out immediately, and he will be suspended from all domestic club football until such time as Chelsea’s First Team have completed four competitive matches.
Terry has 14 days to appeal the decision, The penalty is suspended until after the outcome of any appeal. Terry wasn’t found guilty by the courts for his racial slur as it was determined that despite Terry admitting using the alleged words (black C^%&) against Ferdinand, the judge decided that no one could determine what was actually said in the incident, while Ferdinand’s own language and involvement in the incident was also noted.
For the FA, there was enough proof, although the claims of thorough investigating were a bit exaggerated, as it was pretty clear who said what from the TV footage. Why did Terry receive a four match ban and not eight like Luis Suarez? Maybe being English is better than being foreign when facing suspension and fines in the Premier League.