The Football Association has claimed that Queens Park Rangers defender Rio Ferdinand deserves a three-match ban for sending an offensive tweet because he has a responsibility to be a role model.
The former Manchester United centre-back was punished by the English governing body with a suspension and a £25,000 fine for using the word "sket" in a tweet.
The term, which refers to a promiscuous girl or woman, was used in relation to a fellow Twitter user's mother, who mocked Ferdinand by claiming that QPR needed to buy a decent defender back in September.
The written reasons for the sanction have been released by the FA, which state: "With nearly 6m followers, Mr Ferdinand is clearly an experienced Twitter user and should know better. He is, without doubt, a role model for many young people. His responsibility is therefore that much greater.
"Unfortunately there is no formal or direct admission and there is certainly no sign of remorse. The Regulatory Commission members extracted what 'mitigation' they could from the solicitor's letter, but again reminded themselves that Mr. Ferdinand had simply not responded at all to the actual charge brought against him despite several requests for him to do so."
Ferdinand's teammate Joey Barton gave his support to the defender by claiming that his three-match ban is a "disgrace".
Danielle Joynson
