Chelsea has come under strong criticism from several quarters for refusing to make their disciplinary action against team captain John Terry public, maintaining that it's "confidential".
John Terry, who was slapped with a four-match ban and a fine of £220,000 for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers' (QPR) Anton Ferdinand a year ago, decided not to appeal against the Football Assiciation (FA) ruling on Thursday.
Chelsea said in a statement that Terry has done the right thing by not appealing against the ruling of the FA and that the club too has taken disciplinary action against him.
"Chelsea also appreciates, and supports, John's full apology for the language he used. The club firmly believes such language is not acceptable and fell below the standards expected of John as a Chelsea player," read the statement.
"The Board has conducted its own investigation into the matter, and considered the various issues involved. The Board has taken further disciplinary action in addition to the four-match suspension and £220,000 fine imposed by the FA. In accordance with our long-standing policy, that disciplinary action will remain confidential."
The club also said that the skipper will the next four match, which means he has not been slapped with further match ban for his racist act.
However, many think that Chelsea should have made their disciplinary action against the veteran footballer public to send out a message that racism has no place in today's world.
"I believe Chelsea need to be open about the action they have taken. A lot of people will be dissatisfied that Chelsea have not been much more up front about the standards they set and the values they have," Lord Ouseley, the chairman of anti-racism body Kick It Out, told The Independent.
"If they are not prepared to say, it will further damage the trust of those people who still have suspicions about Chelsea's sincerity in dealing with this matter. I do welcome what they have said, but they need to be saying more and doing more if they are going to win back the confidence of people who have lost trust in them rather than to sit back and be silent," he added.
John Terry on Thursday made a statement that he has decided not to appeal against the ruling of the FA and apologized for using racist language.
An Independent Regulatory Commission of the FA slapped John Terry with a four-match ban and a fine of £220,000 for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers' (QPR) Anton Ferdinand last October. He was found guilty after a four-day probe in September.
