QPR centerback Rio Ferdinand has been suspended by the English FA for three matches and fined $40,000 for making an abusive comment over Twitter.
The comment was posted back on September 1st when Ferdinand became involved in a spat with a Twitter follower who tweeted to Ferdinand saying: ‘Maybe QPR will sign a good CB they need one.’
To which Rio responded: ‘Get ya mum in, she plays the field well son! #sket’
The FA received a number of complaints from the public of Ferdinand’s use of the term ‘sket’, which is said to be a Caribbean term meaning wh#re.
Ferdinand was supposed to reply to the initial charge on October 14 but failed to do so. This decision is believed to have contributed to the length of the ban imposed by the FA. The organization’s website released the following statement:
‘Queens Park Rangers defender Rio Ferdinand has been suspended for three matches commencing with immediate effect, subject to any appeal, after an FA misconduct charge against him was found proven.
It was alleged a comment Ferdinand posted on his twitter account was abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper.
It was further alleged that this breach was aggravated pursuant to FA Rule E3(2) as the comment included a reference to gender.
Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing on Wednesday 29 October, Ferdinand was also fined £25,000, severely warned as to his future conduct and ordered to attend an education programme, arranged by The FA within four months.’
This is not the first time Ferdinand has found himself in trouble over Twitter, having previously been found guilty of improper conduct and fined $72,000 by the FA for referring to Ashley Cole as ‘choc ice’.
Today’s ruling underscores an increasingly difficult area for the FA to patrol. Many people had no idea the meaning of Ferdinand’s choice word, including Gary Lineker, who said: ‘Thanks to @rioferdy5 I’ve just learnt a new word. The most surprising aspect of his charge is that the FA knew what a ‘sket’ was.’
After 12 seasons at Manchester United, Ferdinand arrived at Loftus Road on a free transfer this summer. Starting the first seven matches for the R’s, he’s been an unused substitute over the last two matchweeks.