Advertisement

Ferdinand baffled by 'ludricous' suspension

The former Manchester United defender will miss his side’s next three Premier League matches after a tweet that the Football Association labelled as “abusive and/or indecent”

QPR DEFENDER RIO Ferdinand has said he is “baffled” by the three-match suspension he has received for posting an offensive Twitter message.

Ferdinand was banned for three games on Wednesday, fined £25,000 (€32,000) and ordered to attend an education programme arranged by the Football Association after a misconduct charge against him was found proven.

The former England captain was found to have posted a message on his Twitter account that was “abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper”.

In addition, the breach of FA regulations was considered aggravated as the comment included a reference to gender. QPR have yet to announce whether they will appeal the sanctions against Ferdinand, who is set to miss Premier League contests against Chelsea, Manchester City and Newcastle United.

Ferdinand is clearly unhappy with his ban, however, and outlined his surprise on Friday. In a fresh tweet, the 35-year-old wrote: “Is humour even allowed….I’m baffled! Ludicrous…. & I don’t mean the rapper.”

Joey Barton, a team-mate of Ferdinand at QPR, also criticised the severity of the punishment handed out. “Surely a person has the right to be offensive? Especially if someone offends you? Shambolic that @rioferdy5 misses 3 games and loses £25k,” tweeted Barton.

Analysis: Defensive concerns for both teams ahead of the Manchester derby

Manchester United in AC Milan friendly talks

Close
10 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.