Rio Ferdinand banned for three games, fined £25,000 over ‘sket’ tweet

Queens Park Rangers defender Rio Ferdinand has been suspended for three games and fined £25,000, after he failed to respond to an FA charge of misconduct regarding an abusive tweet.
The former Manchester United player reacted to a provocative tweet by replying with the word ‘sket’. Sket is a Caribbean word meaning a whore or a promiscuous girl or woman.
After the FA charged him over the post, Ferdinand refused to respond – an action that is believed to have contributed to the length of his ban.
A statement on the FA website said: “Queens Park Rangers defender Rio Ferdinand has been suspended for three matches commencing with immediate effect, subject to any appeal, after an FA misconduct charge against him was found proven.
“It was alleged a comment Ferdinand posted on his twitter account was abusive and/or indecent and/or insulting and/or improper.
“It was further alleged that this breach was aggravated pursuant to FA Rule E3(2) as the comment included a reference to gender.
“Following an Independent Regulatory Commission hearing on Wednesday 29 October, Ferdinand was also fined £25,000, severely warned as to his future conduct and ordered to attend an education programme, arranged by The FA within four months.”