Breaking News: John Terry is a Racist
John Terry verdict: FA find Chelsea captain guilty over racism charge
• Terry banned for four games, fined £220,000
• Found guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand
The FA's disciplinary hearing has found John Terry guilty of a charge that he directed abusive language with racial connotations at QPR's Anton Ferdinand last October.
The independent regulatory commission delivered its verdict on Thursday after a four-day hearing, banning Terry for four games and fining him £220,000.
Terry, who was cleared of a racially aggravated public order offence at Westminster magistrates' court in July over the same incident, categorically denied the FA charge. He has the right to appeal the FA ruling within 14 days.
An FA statement said: "The penalty is suspended until after the outcome of any appeal, or the time for appealing expires, or should Mr Terry decide not to appeal. The reason for this is to ensure that the penalty does not take effect before any appeal so that Mr Terry has an effective right of appeal."
A statement issued by Terry's management company said: "Mr 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."
The case centred around an incident during Chelsea's Premier League defeat at QPR on 23 October last year when the pair repeatedly clashed verbally.
During his court case Terry admitted using the words "fucking black cunt", but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying.
Terry's Chelsea team-mate Ashley Cole gave evidence in his support, telling the court: "We shouldn't be sitting here".
The FA's decision to press ahead with their own charges infuriated Terry to the extent that on the eve of the disciplinary hearing he announced he was retiring from international football with immediate effect, saying his position had become "untenable".
Terry's legal team had argued that the governing body's own rules dictated that his acquittal in court meant the case could not proceed but the FA believed its charge was distinct from the court charge.
The panel responsible for banning the Liverpool striker Luis Suárez for eight games when they found him guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra last season declared at that time that simply using racist language was enough to constitute a breach of FA rules.
Chelsea issued a statement that 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."
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