20-12-2003 12:34									#1
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Can't believe there's not a thread on this already, but here goes..

quote: Rio Ferdinand has been banned for eight months and fined £50,000 by the Football Association after being found guilty of missing a drugs test. An independent tribunal found the Manchester United defender guilty of misconduct after he failed to take a test on 23 September. The ban, which provisionally starts from 12 January, would see him miss the rest of the season and Euro 2004. United have already indicated they will appeal against the punishment. The verdict from the three-man disciplinary commission was unanimous despite evidence supporting Ferdinand from his manager Sir Alex Ferguson and other figures within the game. It came at the end of a two-day hearing at Bolton's Reebok Stadium, which lasted over 18 hours in total, and was swiftly followed by confirmation of United's intention to appeal. Speaking for the club and with Ferdinand at his side, United director Maurice Watkins said: "We are extremely disappointed by the result in this case. It is a particularly savage and unprecedented sentence which makes an appeal inevitable "It is a particularly savage and unprecedented sentence which makes an appeal inevitable. "We can confirm that Rio has the full support of Manchester United and the PFA and there will be no further comment at this stage."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/3333091.stm

1) There was a precedent for this last season. The offending player got a £2000 fine and no ban.

2) He didn't receive a fair trial. No less than FIFA's Sepp Blatter decided to put pressure on the three-man panel.

3) I'm sure employment law would have something to say about this...

This isn't the end of the story, and I doubt Ferdinand will serve a ban of anywhere near eight months.

(Sorry for posting a BBC link, www.football365.com tries to call itself a football site and hasn't updated for over twelve hours)

	20-12-2003 12:41									#2
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"The suspension was longer than Jaap Stam or Edgar Davids received when nandrolone was found in their blood system and only a month shorter than that meted out to Mark Bosnich when he tested positive for cocaine"

"When a Manchester City player walked away from a test to pick up relatives at an airport, he received a small fine"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/articl...-938073,00.html

	20-12-2003 13:02									#3
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It's pretty harsh but not entirely unexpected.

I hope the appeal goes well.

	20-12-2003 13:56									#4
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He missed the test because he was going to get caught with drugs in his system. Why else would he miss it?

Drug tests are a fact of life for other prof sportsmen and they receive far harsher punishments (banning for life?) Why should footballers get away with a $2000 fine for missing a test that would prove their guilt?

	20-12-2003 15:03									#5
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I'm sure lots of footballers take drugs - Tony Cascarino just told a newspaper that he thinks the entire Marseille team may have been given drugs while he was there. The unlucky ones just get caught.

As to punishment, of course no-one should be exempt from what rules there are on drugs.

I myself have been thinking: is Wes Brown still injured?

	20-12-2003 15:47									#6
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quote: Originally posted by Crimson Sunrise I hope the appeal goes well.

Suspension to finish the week before Euro 04 will do just fine thanks

The ban is totally over the top, but I don't think it would have hurt their cause if United and the player had appeared a little more contrite in the weeks leading up to the hearing.

	20-12-2003 16:28									#7
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quote: The ban is totally over the top, but I don't think it would have hurt their cause if United and the player had appeared a little more contrite in the weeks leading up to the hearing.

The fact is that only a slight portion of the blame lies with Ferdinand; the main culprits are the testing authorities.

I can't see this ban sticking. It'll be reduced IMO.

	20-12-2003 16:33									#8
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quote: Originally posted by Park Avenue The fact is that only a slight portion of the blame lies with Ferdinand; the main culprits are the testing authorities. I can't see this ban sticking. It'll be reduced IMO.

The problem he's got is that whether the ban is fair or not, he's got 2 powerful figures against him in Palios and Blatter.

Plus if the ban gets reduced and Rio is able to play in Euro 04 the FA is leaving itself open for all sorts of accusations from other countries

	20-12-2003 16:34									#9
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Other countries can **** off. Whether Ferdinand plays in the English leagues is a matter for the FA alone.

	20-12-2003 16:40									#10
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quote: Originally posted by Park Avenue Other countries can **** off. Whether Ferdinand plays in the English leagues is a matter for the FA alone.

Although I agree with your initial sentence (in this instance and in general), the fact is that any player who is banned from his national league is automatically banned from playing for his country.
It would look a bit suspicious if the ban was shortened to (say) 6 month so Ferdinand was 'convieniently' elligible for Euro 04

	20-12-2003 16:44									#11
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Well, with the appeal, the ban isn't likely to start before the middle of February anyway, so even six months would stop him from playing there.

The FA generally seems harsh on Man Utd players.

You've seen the example of the City player who did the same and got a mere £2000 fine and nothing else.

You also remember Jamie Carragher throwing a coin indiscriminately into a crowd and getting banned for only a few games, whereas Cantona kicked a fan spitting racist abuse at him and got banned for a season.

It's not a line they really want to be taking...

	20-12-2003 16:46									#12
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quote: You also remember Jamie Carragher throwing a coin indiscriminately into a crowd and getting banned for only a few games, whereas Cantona kicked a fan spitting racist abuse at him and got banned for a season.

Er, whats your point? Cantona kicks for a living, its a much worse offense.

	20-12-2003 16:52									#13
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Rumours that Fergie is planning to with draw his English players from the national side. Butt, Scholes, G Neville, P Neville, Ferdinand...

	20-12-2003 16:54									#14
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quote: Er, whats your point? Cantona kicks for a living, its a much worse offense.

Put it this way, which would play on your conscience more: i) throwing a coin into a bunch of people or ii) kicking someone who was hurling racist abuse at you.

	20-12-2003 16:54									#15
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quote: Originally posted by Park Avenue . You've seen the example of the City player who did the same and got a mere £2000 fine and nothing else. You also remember Jamie Carragher throwing a coin indiscriminately into a crowd and getting banned for only a few games, whereas Cantona kicked a fan spitting racist abuse at him and got banned for a season. It's not a line they really want to be taking...

I'd be intersted to here the FA justification re. the City player, I've got the daily rags but hav'nt got round to reading much past the headlines.

I may be a bit baised here but I think perhaps maybe the visual impact of Cantonas attack caused the FA to overeact, it was on news programmes, magazine programmes etc.
Jamie throwing a coin was seen on MOTD and not a great deal afterwards so the FA wern't under as much pressure to be SEEN to do something.

And don't forget he both Cantona and Ferdinand are much higher profile footballer than either Carragher or Negouia (sp?), which goes back to the last point

	20-12-2003 16:57									#16
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quote: And don't forget he both Cantona and Ferdinand are much higher profile footballer than either Carragher or Negouia (sp?), which goes back to the last point

Exactly.

And there is no harmonisation yet between countries' footballing rules, so FIFA haven't got the power to stand in in the way they have.

	20-12-2003 17:01									#17
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Its not a matter of conscience, its the scale of the offense. Flying kicking someone for gods sake!

	20-12-2003 17:02									#18
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quote: Originally posted by Park Avenue so FIFA haven't got the power to stand in in the way they have.

It would appear they have, deciding who gets to host World Cups etc. is a pretty potent weapon

	20-12-2003 17:09									#19
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quote: Originally posted by Park Avenue Rumours that Fergie is planning to with draw his English players from the national side. Butt, Scholes, G Neville, P Neville, Ferdinand...

that would be such a joke if he did, not going to help anything except perhaps fergie's ego

i think it's a bit harsh, but like reds said the FA have to be seen to take this drug testing business very seriously and because ferdinand is a household name this is especially true.

	20-12-2003 17:18									#20
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The reason it's so much harsher than last year is that the new FA chief wants to be really hard on misbehaving players.

This is the first time for many years that the loss of the ManU players from the England side could be covered relatively comfortably. Although we'd miss Gary Neville.

	20-12-2003 17:21									#21
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quote: Originally posted by MikeH This is the first time for many years that the loss of the ManU players from the England side could be covered relatively comfortably.

...here we go.......

(pulls up a ringside seat and opens popcorn)

	20-12-2003 17:24									#22
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well we've always got danny mills, but i think we would miss scholes more than anyone.

	20-12-2003 18:03									#23
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Yeah, I was going to say, missing the Neville Brothers might be a blessing in disguise, you 'dd miss both Scoles and Butt though, especially in a 2 week tournament.

	20-12-2003 18:51									#24
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Scholes has been crap for England recently. The Chelsea boys can take over. Joe Cole or Lampard in midfield with Gerrard and Becks. Sweet. Maybe play Rooney in the cheating position.

	20-12-2003 18:52									#25
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We've got good central midfielders coming out of our ears.

	20-12-2003 19:02									#26
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Joe Cole is VERY unproven at that level and I think Lampard flatters to decieve in that Chelsea side

	20-12-2003 19:03									#27
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Less so on the left field I gather...

	20-12-2003 19:09									#28
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quote: Originally posted by MikeH Maybe play Rooney in the cheating position.

He'd have to go some to cheat better than Frannie Jeffers

	20-12-2003 22:31									#29
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Don't rate Cole or Lampard. Never have. Over-rated by southern-based journalists, now starting to latch on to Parker.

How long do we think Ferdinand will really be banned for? I can't see this ban staying as long as eight months..

	20-12-2003 23:19									#30
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quote: Originally posted by Park Avenue How long do we think Ferdinand will really be banned for? I can't see this ban staying as long as eight months..

It won't drop enough for him to get to Portugal, so whats that? 6.5 months?