BROOKLYN, NY – Struggling English Championship club Peterborough withdrew their appeal against a four-match suspension of a player of Jamaican descent for historical, social media posts.
The club, which currently sits one place from the bottom of the standings, appealed against the decision of a Football Association (FA) regulatory commission, halting the ban of Jonson Clarke-Harris, and permitting him to play against Coventry and Bournemouth.
But Peterborough – nicknamed Posh – accepted the ban after receiving the FA’s written reasons.
The 27-year-old Leicester-born, the former Bristol Rovers striker, missed Saturday’s 3-2 home defeat against Bristol City – as did City’s Bermuda captain Nahki Wells through injury – and will now sit out matches against Middlesbrough, Hull City, and Queen’s Park Rangers after the international break.
The comments from Clarke-Harris, who had scored only two goals this season, made between October 27, 2012, and March 6, 2013, when he was 18 and constituted an aggravated breach of FA Rule E3.2 as they included reference to sexual orientation.
“We got advice from our lawyers, and there was a tiny possibility if we went to appeal, the suspension might get increased,” Peterborough manager Darren Ferguson said.
He spoke to the player, and they agreed: “Let’s just take the four-game ban.”
Added Ferguson: “I think it’s been hanging over the boy. I could see the relief when we spoke.”
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