The Football Association has banned Wigan Athletic chairman Dave Whelan from all footballing activity for six weeks.

Whelan has also been fined £50,000, warned as to his future conduct and ordered to undergo an educational programme after making offensive comments about Chinese and Jewish people in a newspaper interview last month.

The 78-year-old businessman has seven days to lodge an appeal. The Independent Regulatory Commission will publish its full written reasons before the end of Thursday, but it has emerged that they are satisfied that he is not a racist.

Whelan, who accepted an FA misconduct charge on December 15, came under heavy criticism after using a derogatory term for Chinese people and making offensive remarks about the Jewish community.

"We are satisfied on the evidence before us that Mr Whelan is not a racist," said the FA. "We are equally satisfied on the evidence before us that Mr Whelan did not intend to cause any offence by his comments. It is clear that he himself is very upset by the words he used and he moved very quickly to apologise publicly, plead guilty and begin to make amends."

Whelan had threatened to leave his role as Wigan chairman if the FA found him guilty.

Wigan are back in action on Saturday when they make the trip to Bolton Wanderers in the Championship.