John Terry to continue as Chelsea captain but is heavily fined

John Terry will continue as Chelsea captain, the club’s chairman Bruce Buck has confirmed.

The 31-year-old’s position was cast into doubt after he was given a four-game ban by the FA for racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match at Loftus Road last October.

However, Buck confirmed that the centre-half will remain as the Blues’ skipper but revealed that Terry, who was cleared by Westminster Magistrates’ Court of racially abusing Ferdinand in July, has been heavily fined by the west Londoners.

Buck also said Blues owner Roman Abramovich had been consulted before “firm disciplinary action” was taken by the club.

“John Terry will continue to be captain of the club,” Buck told talkSPORT. “The other question you’re likely to ask is whether we are going to suspend him for any matches, in addition to the four the FA suspended him for, and we are not.

“But we have taken disciplinary action. We think it is firm disciplinary action and appropriate for the circumstances. In setting the appropriate level of discipline we have kept in mind that a court of criminal law found him not guilty.

“Of course we note the FA decision and we certainly respect that decision and we have taken these factors and other factors in mind.”

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said the club had considered Terry’s punishment over a “long period of time”.

“What we have to take into consideration is John has played over 550 times for the football club and he has captained the side over 400 times,” said Gourlay.

“He has led the club and team tremendously during these games. I think he has received about five red cards in that period of time.

“We believe it was a lapse of judgement, it was out of character on the field for John. He did fall below the high standards that we expect at the football club.

“We considered this over a long period of time. He has been disciplined by the club. It is a very, very heavy fine.”