No defence for Rio

14 April 2012

Rio Ferdinand's Euro 2004 hopes were shattered again last night after his appeal against an eight-month drug ban was dismissed.

But it emerged last night that the Football Association tried to have the England defender's suspension increased to 12 months. That failed, as did Manchester United's efforts to reduce the penalty imposed on their record £28million signing for missing a drugs test last September.

Ferdinand, 25, will be devastated by the result. He was desperate to be part of England's squad in Portugal but the ban rules him out until September 20.

He will also miss England's first two World Cup qualifiers, away to Austria and Poland, and the start of the next Premiership campaign, which kicks off on August 14. The decision is a huge blow to United as in Portugal, but the ban rules him out until September 20.

He will also miss England's first two World Cup qualifiers, away to Austria and Poland, and the start of the next Premiership campaign, which kicks off on August 14. The decision is a huge blow to United as well. In Ferdinand's absence they have all but surrendered their Premiership crown and been knocked out of the Champions League.

Maurice Watkins, the United solicitor, sat alongside Ferdinand as he delivered a statement last night. He said:'Rio is naturally very disappointed, as we believe the eight-month suspension was unduly harsh and unprecedented.' The FA recommended to yesterday's appeals tribunal at a Heathrow hotel that the ban be extended to a year - FIFA's minimum requirement for such an offence.

But the three-man panel upheld the decision reached by the FA's disciplinary commission in Bolton last December. Ferdinand still has the option of taking his case to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne but it seems unlikely he would run a serious risk of having the ban extended to a career-threatening two years. The Appeal Board - comprising Ian Mill QC, an independent lawyer who has represented the Spice Girls and Lennox Lewis, FA chairman Geoff Thompson and senior FA councillor Roger Burden - cleared Ferdinand of any suspicion of using drugs.

A statement read out by spokesman Nick Barron said: 'In reaching its conclusions, the Appeal Board discounted the possibility that Mr Ferdinand's reasons for not taking the test were drug-related.' That might seem a strange conclusion. While Ferdinand's defence team presented evidence from a hair follicle test suggesting Ferdinand had not taken drugs, such tests cannot rule out the use of all performance-enhancing drugs.

United's chief executive David Gill did not exclude the prospect of a further appeal and said Ferdinand would be part of the club's summer tour to America.

He added:'He will certainly be on the trip. If the ban is still in place - i.e., he does not appeal or take it further - then he will not be able to play. 'But he will be training with the team and doing any of the community and other activities that we have in mind for the trip.'

Ferdinand's agent Pini Zahavi said: 'The FA have shot themselves in the foot. It makes no sense at all. By doing this they have deprived England of their best defender for the European Championship.

'When you look at examples around the world of players who have been suspended, this is very harsh. That shows you the FA just wanted to make an example of him. 'Rio wanted desperately to play in the summer. But he is a very strong man and he will still be the best defender in the world when he returns.'

A FIFA spokesman said: 'FIFA are happy that the case is now closed. We will still expect the FA to us send us the files so we can see how the procedure was carried out.'

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