What a terrible week this has been for John Terry – not that he doesn’t bear responsibility in all this.
His England career ended earlier this week. (Earlier than some prominent voices feel like it should have, but I suppose such sentiments amount to putting ketchup back in the bottle at this point.)
And now this:
The Football Association’s disciplinary committee has found Terry guilty of using abusive, racially charged language towards QPR’s Anton Ferdinand last October.
Terry (a.k.a. the most polarizing figure in England’s game over the last few years) must pay about $350,000 and serve a four-game ban.
As for how this affects Chelsea: The FA says punishment “is suspended until after the outcome of any appeal, or the time for appealing expires, or should Mr. Terry decide not to appeal.”
That time frame is 14 days. So Terry should be available for this weekend’s London derby against Arsenal, which is Saturday’s early EPL game, set for the Emirates Stadium in north London. Neither team has a loss through five rounds of EPL play, so find a good seat for his one.
Few outside West London (where Chelsea is based) are likely to bemoan the Terry verdict and his week of woe. After all, he’s not always been the best boy.
This is probably not the best day for England manager Roy Hodgson, either, considering his enduring support for the Three Lions former captain.
Finally, if you have time for that second (or third) cup of coffee this morning – a few extra minutes to spare, that is – you might be interested in how the latest news is evidence that England “will have no chance at winning at major footballing tournament” so long as the UK tabloids continue to “destabilize the national team before every” international event.
Curiously, that sentiment comes from a prominent sporty information provider based not abroad, but here in the United States.
So, after all that … it’s the media’s fault that Terry is such a flawed figure? We’ll have to think about that one.
