John Terry and Chelsea will face no action from the Football Association over his contrived 26th-minute farewell substitution, it has emerged.

Bets placed on Terry’s withdrawal during his final appearance for the Premier League champions were investigated by the FA this summer after at least three punters won thousands of pounds wagering on the specific time of his departure at odds of 100-1.

The Twitter account of club fanzine cfcuk also posted a tweet more than half an hour before kick-off of the champions’ 5-1 win over Sunderland forecasting that Terry would be substituted in the 26th minute – to correspond with the shirt number he wore since making his debut 19 years ago.

The FA looked into whether Chelsea or their captain had breached its rules by contriving to ensure the ball was kicked out of play so he could leave the field to a guard of honour at a pre-planned moment.

There was never any suggestion the game itself was fixed ​or that any cheating at betting was attempted but, according to FA regulations, arranging in advance “any event within a match or competition” is an offence.