Chelsea captain John Terry was suspended for four domestic matches by the English Football Association on Thursday, stemming from an incident when he racially abused another player in a game.
Terry was fined £220,000 ($356,356) following a four-day disciplinary hearing for his actions against Queens Park Rangers' defender Anton Ferdinand in a game last season.
Chelsea won that match 1-0, but immediately after the game, footage appeared that showed Terry get up close with Ferdinand and revealed his verbal remarks.
"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," Terry's representatives said in a statement released to the BBC, according to ESPN.com. "He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."
Terry has 14 days to appeal the decision if he wants. The 31-yard-old soccer star and former captain of England announced his retirement on Sunday from international football in response to the FA's decision to pursue charges.
"I am making this statement today in advance of the hearing of the FA disciplinary charge because I feel the FA, in pursuing charges against me where I have already been cleared in a court of law, have made my position with the national team untenable," Terry said on Sunday.
The last match he played with England was a world cup qualifier on Sept. 7, a 5-0 win against Moldova.
The panel did not release an official verdict yet, but stated that Terry used "abusive and/or insulting words and/or behavior ... which included a reference to color and/or race."
Chelsea said the club "respects" the verdict and that it would be "inappropriate" to comment before any appeal decision is made.
Terry faced a criminal court case at Westminster Magistrates' Court in July but was cleared. His defense of the situation was that all he did was repeat the words he was accused of using in a sarcastic manner.
During the proceedings Ferdinand testified that he was taunting Terry about his alleged extramarital affair with the former girlfriend of ex-England teammate Wayne Bridge. The magistrate said that his defense was "under the cold light of forensic examination, unlikely," but found that there wasn't enough evidence to prove he was lying.
Terry has had a controversial career in recent years, including issues related to his captaincy of England.
He first lost his position in 2010 following the allegations of the affair and then lost the captaincy again before the trial over the Ferdinand allegations. The decision by the FA to strip him the second time led to coach Fabio Capello quitting the club.
Terry's incident marks the second time in a year to that a Premier League player was banned for a racial incident.
Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was suspended for eight matches after he racially abused Patrice Evra of Manchester United last year. He was found to have done it multiple times during the match, and the FA said in its verdict last year that "his guilt did not depend on whether he intended his words to be abusive or insulting." He was fined 40,000-pound for the incident as well.
Although Terry retried from international play, he can move forward and concentrate on football now that his criminal case and the FA's ruling is complete.
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