John Terry found guilty by the FA

Premier League footballer John Terry has been banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after being found guilty of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand by a Football Association independent regulatory commission.

The Chelsea skipper denied the charge but the commission ruled that he was guilty of misconduct during Chelsea's Barclays Premier League defeat at QPR on October 23 last year.

The 31-year-old, who on Sunday announced his retirement from international football, can lodge an appeal against the panel's decision.

The case centred around an incident during Chelsea's Barclays Premier League defeat at QPR on October 23 last year when the pair clashed verbally on a number of occasions.

Terry was found not guilty in Westminster Magistrates Court in July of a racially-aggravated public order offence with the prosecution unable to prove he had called Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" as an insult.

Terry admitted using the words, but insisted he had only been repeating words he thought Ferdinand had accused him of saying. Chelsea and England team-mate Ashley Cole gave evidence that helped exonerate Terry, telling the court: "We shouldn't be sitting here".

The FA's decision to press ahead with their own charges infuriated Terry to the extent that on the eve of the disciplinary hearing he announced he was quitting international football with immediate effect, saying his position was "untenable".

Terry's representatives, Elite Management, said in a statement released on his behalf: "Mr Terry is disappointed that the FA Regulatory Commission has reached a different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law. He has asked for the detailed written reasons of the decision and will consider them carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal."

An FA statement said: "An independent regulatory commission has today found a charge of misconduct against John Terry proven and has issued a suspension for a period of four matches and a fine of £220,000, pending appeal."

It added: "The charge was the result of The FA's long-standing investigation into this matter, which was placed on hold at the request of the Crown Prosecution Service and Mr Terry's representatives pending the outcome of the criminal trial."