An appeal by Terry, who was also fined £220,000, would come as a surprise given that the panel labelled his defence "improbable, implausible and contrived".

It would also mean prolonging the scandal which has run for just a week short of a full year and provided numerous negative headlines, for Terry and the whole of English football.

Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor wants Terry to accept the punishment.

Taylor said: "I would like the situation to be ended and people learn from it and move on.

"It is a decision for John and his advisers, but my preference would be now to accept what has gone on and that things were said which shouldn't have been said.

"Sorry is the hardest word to say but we have got to learn from it and move on.

"To get reconciliation, people have to accept what they have done is wrong, and there has to be some reconciliation because it is causing the game to implode from within. It has caused division among black players and among white players."

Those within the game will also be studying Chelsea's response closely after the club said they would wait until the end of the legal process before commenting.

They have however defended club secretary Dave Barnard, whose actions in asking for a significant change to an Ashley Cole statement backing Terry's version of events was questioned by the panel.

Terry was accused of calling Ferdinand a "f****** black c***" in the 83rd minute of Chelsea's defeat at Loftus Road last October.

The panel said the Chelsea captain, 31, "is not a racist" but were "satisfied" his comments were used as an insult.

The three-man panel said there was "no credible basis" for Terry's claim he had only been repeating words he thought QPR defender Ferdinand had accused him of saying.