Precedent: Suarez (left) was banned for eight matches last season
Cleared: Terry faced a court case earlier this summer regarding the same incident
A spokesman for Terry said the player was ‘disappointed’ the FA had reached a ‘different conclusion’ from the ‘not guilty verdict of a court of law’.
The FA also came in for criticism. Why was Terry’s ban only four matches when Suarez received eight for racially abusing Manchester United’s Patrice Evra?
And why, once again, has a verdict been issued without a simultaneous written explanation that removes any questions about the punishment.
Old pals: Jose Mourinho has defended his former captain, saying he is not a racist
On the latter point, the FA will argue that it is part of their disciplinary process. Some mitigation has to follow the verdict before a written report is then submitted by the QC leading the panel.
The identity of the panellists — beyond former England winger Stuart Ripley, now a sports lawyer — remained a closely guarded secret because they wish to limit the personal abuse they might receive in such a high- profile case.
In the eyes of many, the length of the ban does seem bizarre. For that particular FA charge the statutory punishment is four matches and Suarez received more because he repeated the word ‘negro’.
But a four-match ban for the use of racist language does seem lenient. Last season Ruesha Littlejohn, at the time a player for Liverpool Ladies, received a six-match ban for tweeting a joke that made reference to sexual orientation.
As Gary Lineker tweeted: ‘The FA find John Terry guilty and give him a 4 match ban and 220K fine. Just one game more than a regular red card?’
Lord Ouseley, the chairman of football’s anti-racism body Kick It Out, said he hoped football could learn from this case.
'This isn’t about John Terry being a racist and clearly no-one should be accusing him and nobody has accused him of that,' he said. 'But we’ve all got to pull collectively to move forward in a way that makes football a better place where the sort of language that is used every day and on the field of play has to stop.'
JOHN TERRY - HIGHS AND LOWS
HIGH - Makes Chelsea debut against Aston Villa in October 1998.
LOW - Is one of four players fined two weeks' wages by Chelsea after their behaviour at a Heathrow hotel is criticised on the day after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001.
LOW - In 2002, Terry and Chelsea team-mate Jody Morris are cleared after being charged with assault and affray in connection with a nightclub incident. Terry, uncapped at the time, is ruled out of the World Cup by the FA until the legal case is completed.
HIGH - Makes England debut as substitute against Serbia and Montenegro in June 2003.
HIGH - Appointed Chelsea captain as the successor to Marcel Desailly in August 2004.
HIGH - Succeeds David Beckham as England captain in August 2006.
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