• Chelsea defender acquitted over Anton Ferdinand abuse
• FA decision on next step expected within a week
The Football Association will study the findings of the John Terry court case before deciding whether to bring any charges against the Chelsea captain.
Terry was cleared at Westminster magistrates' court on Friday of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand and the FA will now have to decide whether to open disciplinary proceedings under its rules. It is likely to be at least a week before a decision is made.
The FA can still bring charges even though Terry was found not guilty. Liverpool's Luis Suárez was banned by the FA last season for racially abusing Patrice Evra but that case never went to court.
An FA spokesman said: "The FA notes the decision in the John Terry case and will now seek to conclude its own enquiries. The FA will make no further comment at this time."
The former Manchester United and Tottenham striker Garth Crooks, now a BBC pundit, has criticised the FA for not acting sooner.
Crooks told the Guardian: "The real problem in the Terry case began once the FA failed to take immediate action. This lack of fibre by the governing body to act instantly when Terry gave them a statement after the verbal clash with Ferdinand threw the entire procedure into chaos – forcing everyone associated with the game to either dive for cover or sit on the fence.
"It may have appeared expedient to delay matters at the time, but once the police appeared on the scene the FA lost control of the process and the dynamic dramatically changed."
Crooks believes that Terry should still face action from the FA even though the Chelsea player's defence was that he was only repeating what he believed Ferdinand had accused him of saying.
He added: "I believe it was wrong of him to say these words under any circumstances – and though Terry has been found not to have committed a criminal offence, the FA must now decide whether the former England captain should be charged for contravening its own rules.
"If the FA don't act on the undisputed facts, and find Terry guilty of bringing the game into disrepute, a lot of good people are saying to me that there's no point in getting involved in the game at a senior level."
The Professional Footballers' Association reacted to the court verdict by saying: "We have considered the judgment delivered this afternoon in the John Terry trial and recognise that this matter has been dealt with thoroughly by the legal process.
"The incident and the ensuing publicity has been damaging for football and particularly so for our members. All players have a responsibility to conduct themselves appropriately and be mindful of the fact that they are role models to so many people around the world.
"We would like to take this opportunity to reiterate our full support for the Respect campaign and we will continue to promote and educate our members that they must treat each other with respect and consideration in the same way that they must treat match officials.
"Finally, the PFA is and always will be committed to anti-racism and other anti-discrimination initiatives which have achieved considerable success over the last few decades. We recognise that this is an ongoing commitment. There is no place for such behaviour in football and there is, and has to be, support for those who feel they have encountered racial abuse or any other form of discrimination." Read More
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