Ashley Cole To Escape FA Ban After Apologising To David Bernstein

'He Showed Real Remorse. I Looked Him In The Eye' - Cole To Escape FA Ban
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Ashley Cole will not be banned from England duty after the Football Association chairman David Bernstein revealed he had apologised for his Twitter outburst.

Cole, 31, labelled the governing body a "bunch of twa*s" on Friday after the John Terry racism case report was published, but will still be free to play for his country.

"He apologised publicly the day after. He saw me last night and he apologised personally," Bernstein said this morning.

"He showed real remorse. I looked him in the eye and I accept that. He is free to play for England."

The Chelsea full-back has been charged by the FA but is likely to receive a five-figure fine.

Cole is two caps shy of reaching 100 for England and could become the sixth player to make the landmark if he plays in the two World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland in the next week.

Billy Wright, Bobby Moore, Sir Bobby Charlton, Peter Shilton and David Beckham are the five England centurions to date.

Roy Hodgson, who said prior to Cole's tirade last week he was considering making him captain for the Poland game, must now decide whether to to start the defender ahead of Everton's Leighton Baines.

Kieran Gibbs, in excellent form for Arsenal, was also called up to the senior squad but was removed after he suffered a thigh injury in the Gunners' 3-1 win at West Ham United on Saturday.

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Cole made his England debut away to Albania in March 2001 in what was Sven-Göran Eriksson's third match in charge of the Three Lions.

He has started every game for his country at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups as well as at Euro 2004 and Euro 2012.

Cole will be part of the squad who greet the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the official opening of the FA's St George's Park site on Tuesday.