Joe Hart plays down captaincy talk

Lord Triesman, the former Football Association chairman, says he can see no reason for John Terry to be banned for only four matches for racist abuse.

An independent FA regulatory commission recently found Chelsea captain Terry guilty of using a racist slur towards QPR defender Anton Ferdinand. In addition to the ban, he was given a £220,000 fine.

There have been questions raised as to why Terry, who had earlier been cleared of the offence in the courts, received a ban only half the length of that handed to Liverpool forward Luis Suarez when he was found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra last season. The FA commission explained that Terry's shorter ban was simply down to the fact that, in his case, the "racist insult was issued only once".

Lord Triesman, though, told the BBC he found the decision hard to understand on the face of it. "It may be when you look at all the detail they thought there were reasons for [it]," he told the BBC. "I can't see it."

Terry has yet to announce whether he will appeal the sanction but while Lord Triesman acknowledges that he is "within his rights" to do so, he added: "My own view is that it would be more sensible to apologise and accept it's not a good standard."

Terry announced his decision to retire from international football prior to the verdict and he is therefore not part of the England squad that will take on San Marino and Poland over the international break. Goalkeeper Joe Hart feels it is a significant loss to the team.

"John's a passionate and proud Englishman," Hart said. "That sums up John as a player. When I first came into the squad, he treated me just the same as he does now. He's a great professional, a real inspiration football-wise and a good person as well."

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