Cole blasts FA over Terry report
Ashley Cole has risked an FA disciplinary hearing after reacting furiously relating to the John Terry verdict.
The Chelsea left-back featured heavily in the Regulatory Commission’s report explaining the decision to ban the Blues captain for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during the encounter between the two sides a year ago.
Cole’s evidence was questioned after he changed his initial witness statement to sway in the favour of Terry, claiming Ferdinand used the term ‘black’ during his row with the Chelsea captain.
The amendments in his statement suggest Terry didn’t insult Ferdinand, but instead repeated what he thought the QPR centre-back had said to him.
In its findings, the Commission said that new evidence suggested there was "considerable doubt over Mr Cole's claim that he heard, or could have heard, Mr. Ferdinand use the word 'black'".
Cole has reacted furiously to the reports, writing on his Twitter page: "Hahahahaa, well done FA. I lied, did I" before adding an abusive hashtag.
When questioned on Cole’s tweet, Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo said: "We'll look at the tweet and then we'll see. Apart from this, I don't think the players are out of control."
Having deleted the tweet, Cole has since apologised through his solicitor with a statement reading: "I was really upset and tweeted my feelings in the heat of the moment. I apologise unreservedly for my comment about the FA."
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Nick Moore is a freelance journalist based on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. He wrote his first FourFourTwo feature in 2001 about Gerard Houllier's cup-treble-winning Liverpool side, and has continued to ink his witty words for the mag ever since. Nick has produced FFT's 'Ask A Silly Question' interview for 16 years, once getting Peter Crouch to confess that he dreams about being a dwarf.