Cole to avoid England ban after apology to FA chairman Bernstein
Ashley Cole will not face an international suspension after the Chelsea and England defender apologised to David Bernstein, the chairman of the Football Association, for sending an offensive and abusive tweet in reference to the governing body, the BBC has reported.
Cole was on Monday charged by the FA with misconduct for using an expletive to describe the organisation after the written report into the John Terry racism raised questions around Cole’s evidence in support of his teammate.
Terry was banned for four games after being found guilty of racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, despite having been cleared of an offence in Westminster Magistrates’ Court. But the burden of proof on the independent commission that investigated the allegations was lower than the trial, leading to the different outcome.
A chapter in the written report was titled “The Evolution of Ashley Cole’s Evidence” and cast doubt on the validity of part of Cole’s evidence, claiming he changed his witness statement to assist with Terry’s defence.
Cole apologised for the insult towards the FA on Friday and Bernstein revealed he spoke with Cole over the weekend, when Cole again apologised. Bernstein said: “He apologised publicly the day after. He saw me last night and he apologised personally. He showed real remorse. I looked him in the eye and I accept that. He is free to play for England.”
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