John Terry and The FA

KIEV, UKRAINE – JUNE 24: Mario Balotelli of Italy and John Terry of England challenge for the ball during the UEFA EURO 2012 quarter final match between England and Italy at The Olympic Stadium on June 24, 2012 in Kiev, Ukraine.

On Thursday, John Terry decided not to appeal and accepted the 4 match ban imposed by the FA. He discreetly expressed his discontent of how the situation was handled and thereby apologized for his actions on the pitch. A 220,000 £ fine was also part of the bonanza package. Chelsea also issued a statement that disciplinary action will be taken against their captain in accordance with the club policy, but chose not to disclose the nature of the action.

In Terry’s defense, his acceptance that he had uttered racist words during the game doesn’t necessarily mean that he has abused someone. Terry denied the charge outright and will do it for the rest of his life. According to his statement in the court, he had used the words in a context where he was defending himself, not abusing Ferdinand. The criminal court couldn’t come to a clear conclusion after examining all the evidence and consulting experts. The court gave a verdict in favor of Terry acquitting him.

But, apparently there is an organization in England who thinks they have a much higher authority than the judiciary and the government. Yes, the Duke of Cambridge is the president of FA, but can the verdict of a court of justice be sidetracked in the investigation of the same charge? Clearly stated in one of its clauses is that:

“Where the subject matter of a complaint or matter before the Regulatory Commission has been the subject of previous civil or criminal proceedings, the result of such proceedings and the facts and matters upon which such result is based shall be presumed to be correct and the facts presumed to be true unless it is shown, by clear and convincing evidence, that this is not the case.”

So the FA has contradicted itself.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 06: John Terry of Chelsea in action as Ashley Cole looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Chelsea and Norwich City at Stamford Bridge on October 6, 2012 in London, England.

No wonder, certain section of fans and media in the football world will be mightily happy with the FA’s judgment. Then there is the sadistic bunch crying that a 4 match ban is extremely modest. Yes, Joey Barton belongs to this certain bunch. Fact is, the FA has been trying to get under the skin of Terry from a long time. This set of developments provided them with a perfect opportunity and with the case being taken up by the criminal court; they were expecting a guilty verdict.

But after the trial, their plans for imposing a lengthy ban along with the court verdict drained their stance into the gutter. They had to retort to damage control and take some action in order to cover up their Capello blunder. The FA had to show the world that they can take bold decisions. Hence, came the verdict of a four match ban and the ego of an ignoble organization satisfied.

On a personal note, The FA has been taking some extraordinary decisions on all fronts in the past 5 years. Sometimes, I doubt that this is an agency run by foreign spies who have descended to destroy the sanity of English football. To name a few, they were successful in forcing Terry to retire from International football, forced the best coach England had for a long time to resign before the World Cup. After all this, it strikes to me who Jeremy Clarkson was referring to in his article and I guess the people in FA love Astons.

One the positive side, Terry can focus completely on Chelsea and lead the club to more glory in the coming years.