Chelsea
captain John Terry failed in a red card appeal as he "knew exactly what he
was doing", an independent commission ruled.
Terry claimed wrongful dismissal after he was sent off for denying an
obvious goal scoring opportunity during Chelsea's 4-1 FA Cup third round win
over Peterborough United last month.
It was claimed by Chelsea: "… his left foot slipped, he fell forward lying
face down on the floor. He claimed categorically that there was no contact
with the attacking player."
The club submitted video footage evidence and Terry provided a statement,
which included a still of the incident.
But a three-man commission, chaired by Gareth Farrelly, unanimously
disagreed with the Chelsea defender's version of the incident involving
Peterborough's Lee Angol.
"Mr Terry is a vastly experienced player and his reaction was a consequence
of the movement of the attacking player," ruled the panel, in written
reasons published by the Football Association.
"He knew exactly what he was doing; if he did not stop him with his foot, he
would stop him with his body, hence drawing the contact and denying the
attacker a goal scoring opportunity.
"Furthermore, whether there was contact or not is immaterial as the
challenge clearly impeded an opponent and the offence is trips or attempts
to trip an opponent."
The commission acknowledged the "importance of the referee (Kevin Friend)
making his decision at the exact time the offence was committed and his
judgment at that point as to whether an obvious goal scoring opportunity had
been denied or not."
The panel added it, "…did not feel that they could say, based on all the
evidence before them, that he (Friend) had made an obvious error".
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