Chelsea captain John Terry on Thursday said he would not appeal against the sanctions England’s Football Association has imposed after finding him guilty of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League game nearly one year ago. As a result, the 31-year-old defender will begin a four-game ban in the Barclays Premier League this Saturday, in addition to a fine worth $355,388.

Terry issued the following statement through his management agency:

"After careful consideration, I have decided not to appeal against the FA judgment. I want to take this opportunity to apologize to everyone for the language I used in the game against Queens Park Rangers last October. 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. As I stated in the criminal case, with the benefit of hindsight my language was clearly not an appropriate reaction to the situation for someone in my position. My response was below the level expected by Chelsea Football Club, and by me, and it will not happen again."

Terry, who was stripped of the England captaincy and then opted to retire from international duty as a result of the controversy, was found not guilty of the charge in criminal court in London this summer, but an independent FA panel, which only needed to establish the probability of guilt, found his argument to be "improbable, implausible and contrived".