Di Matteo silent on Terry captaincy
Terry was banned for four matches and fined £220,000 after an independent Football Association regulatory commission found him guilty of racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.
The former England defender accepted the sanction on Thursday and issued an apology for the language he used in the match at Loftus Road on October 23 last year.
Chelsea have also taken internal disciplinary action against Terry, which is understood to have been a fine, but the details are being kept confidential.
Terry is understood to have been told he will continue as Chelsea captain – but Di Matteo would not make that decision public yesterday.
“It has certainly put a cloud over the image of the club,” Di Matteo said.
“We have done many good things as well and it is a shame we cannot talk more about football, which is our priority.
“We do not discuss publicly the disciplinary matters we take against our players. They remain confidential. You will have to wait and see (whether he is captain).
“They are internal matters, the action we take against our players and we are not going to discuss it.”
Terry’s Barclays Premier League ban begins in today’s early kick-off, when Chelsea face Tottenham, but he is available for the Champions League game against Shakhtar Donetsk on Tuesday.
Asked whether it was suitable for Terry to remain captain in the circumstances, Di Matteo said: “Over the many years he has been here he has shown a lot of qualities.
“He has realised that on that day he fell below his standards and the club’s standards. For that he has received a ban and a fine and more action from the club.
“He is being punished for what he has said. We have all made mistakes in our life before.”
Chelsea have been accused of double standards after a supporter was banned from Stamford Bridge for life for racially abusing former Blues striker Didier Drogba.
Di Matteo insisted the action being taken against Terry was “appropriate” before a Chelsea spokesman, sitting alongside him, explained there was no contradiction.
“Every situation is dealt with according to the circumstances,” the spokesman said.
“People have highlighted a particular case of a supporter who is getting a lifetime ban for racist abuse of Didier Drogba. He received the lifetime ban because he was successfully prosecuted in court as a result of a criminal prosecution.’’
Di Matteo confirmed internal disciplinary action was also being taken against Ashley Cole, who has been fined £90,000 for an offensive tweet aimed at the FA.
“We encourage players to use social media, obviously within the boundaries and within the responsibilities that brings,” Di Matteo said.
“He (Cole) is getting fined by the FA. There is a disciplinary process against Ashley as well from the club.”
Di Matteo takes his Chelsea side to White Hart Lane today insisting his former boss, Andre Villas-Boas, could turn Tottenham into champions.
The Chelsea manager served under Villas-Boas at Stamford Bridge until the 35-year-old Portuguese boss was sacked last March.
They will clash as opponents for the first time on the touchline but Di Matteo, whose team lead the Premier League by four points from Manchester United, believes Villas-Boas could be on the verge of something special.
Asked whether Tottenham under Villas-Boas are a team who can win the league, Di Matteo said: “I think they are.
“Spurs over the years have established themselves in the top five and are getting closer and closer to the top.
“Spurs are a very dangerous counter-attacking team with the pace they have in the team with Gareth Bale and Jermain Defoe. They are all pacy players.’’
For his part, Villas-Boas is targeting a victory that would see Spurs move to within two points of Chelsea, although he is not expecting an easy ride.
He said: “At the moment I think it’s important for us to go nearer the top. There are two teams unbeaten in the Premier League – Manchester City and Chelsea.
“To a certain extent Chelsea are showing some form that Man City showed last year, not with the same points but certainly very, very efficient.
“It is never going be easy game for us. This kind of motivation, that we feel towards this game, the opposition will feel in exactly the same way.
“Certainly we want to win, because it might give us a chance to go nearer those spots where we think we belong at end of season.
“But there will be many other games and we still have to continue to improve.”
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