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Former Manchester United star Rio Ferdinand baffled by fine for twitter remark


 

According to the BBC, Rio Ferdinand appears to have responded to his three-game ban from the Football Association for an offensive tweet, saying he is "baffled".

The former Manchester United star and ex-England captain now a QPR defender was also fined £25,000 on Tuesday having been charged with misconduct.

It was believed to relate to a post where he used the word "sket" - defined as "a promiscuous girl or woman".

Ferdinand, 35, tweeted  on Friday: "Is humour even allowed....I'm baffled! Ludicrous...."

Rangers team-mate Joey Barton then accused the FA of setting "a dangerous precedent" with the ban in a series of his own tweets on the subject.

Barton tweeted:  "3 games and £25k for a tweet? Come on."

Ferdinand will miss the Premier League matches away to Chelsea, at home to Manchester City and away to Newcastle during November.

He has also been "severely warned as to his future conduct" and told to attend an education programme arranged by the FA.

Replying directly to Ferdinand, Barton added:  "@rioferdy5 I have said way worse I am sure. Don't understand how you can be banned from football. It's nothing to do with it."

The 32-year-old midfielder then asked the FA to send him "a list of offensive, ban incurring words" that he cannot use online and "the requisite bans attached to each".

There have been some other notable FA social media sanctions:

 Chief amongst them was then Liverpool winger Ryan Babel who became the first player to be sanctioned for social media-related offences when he was fined £10,000 for linking to a mocked-up picture of referee Howard Webb in a Manchester United shirt after Liverpool lost 1-0 at Old Trafford in the FA Cup in 2010.
 
Rio Ferdinand has been sanctioned twice: £45,000 in 2012 for endorsing a tweet referring to then Chelsea defender Ashley Cole as a "choc ice" and £25,000 (plus a playing ban) for the tweet he posted earlier this year.
 
The record ban handed to a player is eight matches for David Deeney of St Neots Town for sending threatening and discriminatory tweets.
 
The lowest fine is £50, given to St Neots Town official Mike Green for comments he posted about a referee.

JB

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