LONDON: England’s Football Association has fined Chelsea’s Ashley Cole $145,000 for insulting the governing body in an offensive Twitter post.
Cole was also warned about “future conduct” on Thursday by the FA. Last week, it charged him with misconduct and bringing the game into disrepute.
The England defender had reacted angrily to an FA commission questioning the evidence he gave in defending teammate John Terry against a charge of racially abusing an opponent.
The tweet, which was subsequently deleted, read “Hahahahaa, well done (hash)fa I lied did I,” followed by a vulgar expression.
He escaped a playing ban from England — being selected in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw with Poland in a World Cup qualifier — but also will be punished by Chelsea.
Meanwhile, John Terry apologized yesterday for using inappropriate language during an on-field confrontation and decided to accept a four-match ban for racially abusing an opponent during a Premier League game.
The Chelsea defender was suspended by the Football Association for abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in a heated west London derby last October.
The incident revived the issue of racism as well as bringing shame on Terry and Chelsea, which said it will take disciplinary action against the 31-year-old center back.
“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,” Terry said in a statement.
Terry has always claimed he only repeated the obscene phrase he was accused of saying by Ferdinand.
Terry was cleared in a criminal trial in July of a racially aggravated public order offense but was found guilty by the FA on a lesser burden of proof, with the governing body’s disciplinary panel finding his defense “improbable, implausible and contrived.” The ban was half the length of that given to Liverpool striker Luis Suarez for racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra during another Premier League match last October, while Terry was also fined a record 220,000 pounds ($356,000).
England’s Cole fined $145,000 for Twitter post
