Rio Ferdinand
 

Well Rio has been banned for 8 months and fined £50k for missing his drug test. This means that he will miss Euro 2004.

If you ask me this is way over the top, as the last footballer who missed a drugs test, because he was picking his mother up from the airport, only got a slap on the wrist and a £2,000 fine.

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Doesn't suprise me. He's a man united player. They always come down harder on manu because they have the biggest profile in football

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

I'd partly agree with that, because if they want to make an example of someone, it makes sense to do it to a high profile player.

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Oh well, at least Wes Brown is nearing full fitness.

Silly boy Rio, I wonder if he will still get paid?

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

I suspect the severity of the ban is due to Sep Blatter's interference, and the FA wanting to remain in his good books.

No one has come out of this with any credibility:
1) Rio - Stupid for not taking it, and no excuse
2) Man Utd - For letting him go
3) Sport UK - Why do they not test when they turn up? Surely that is the best time - give no one any prior knowledge, and then they have no opportunity to forget. Also, why not wait for him to return to take the test on the same day.
4) The FA - Far to long in waiting for the disiplinary to take place - it should have been done (without his name being made public) within 2 weeks.
5) Sepp Blatter - for interfering in something that does not concern him

I suspect that the ban could have been made until the end of the season (6 months), but the FA wanted Rio not to be available for Euro 2004 - and another possible controversy. (I.e. FA did not want him playing for Man Utd, but do want him playing for England)

Also, why does the ban start on the 12th January. If he is guilty, then it should be immediate. He has had the chance to prepare and argue his case.

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

should of been 2 years, he is a very lucky boy

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

The thing is, he spoke to the testers 2 hours after his appointment and asked to take the test then and they told him no we aren't testing you now you are too late. Why on earth did they do this. Surely it'd have been sensible to test him 2 hours after but still file a report saying he missed the initial appointment.

That would have been the sensible thing to do. But oh no, not with beauracracy. I can just see the guys so excited about being able to say he didn't turn up.

Thing was, he wasn't taking any drugs, he passed one soon after and nothing was in his system. He is just an ********, something he has in common with most footballers, why it dragged out so long I cannot fathom. Shoulda been done and dusted 3 months ago. The FA have shot themselves in the foot. If they dealt with it 3 months ago he'd be playing in Euro 2004 for them but now he isn't

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

2 years for failing to take a test, when he took it 36 hours later, and offered to come back on the same day?

Let's not forget, the test was clear

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Makes no odds football is such a backwards sport in regards to drugs if he competed in most other sports failing to take a drug test means an automatic 2 year ban - end of!

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

So your argument is that it should be 2 years because its all abit stupid and backwards the system ?

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

No my agruement is it should be 2 years as alot of banned sustances can be out of the body within 24 hours so failing to take a test is/should be the same as failing one.

The system within football from the way the tests are run to the way it takes months to get matters resolved when they need to discipline players. Football could do a lot worse than look around at other sports and wake up to the fact that [I]some[I] players do take drugs in order to make them preform better

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Every participant in any sport works to the rules (and penalties) of their governing sport.

Football in this country did not have any (as far as I am aware) specific rules against missing a test, and where a president was set last year, a £2k fine and a slap on the wrists.

Would the same ban have been imposed on a 3rd division player, without the FIFA boss huffing & puffing - I don't think so. Now I am no Man Utd fan (quite the opposite), but the rules must be the same for everyone

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Like Skiiing where they ban someone for taking a decongestant ?

Fact is, in this case Ferdinand made himself available to take the test 2 HOURS after his appointment and they said no because they are beaurocratic fools. If you can't see that as a failure in their system I can only assume you have an ulterior motive.

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Let's keep it clean - and no (implied) insults......:nono:

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

How is that an insult ?

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

I think Rio is the fool to be honest by forgetting to turn up :rolleyes: or do you think everyone should wait until Rio decides to turn up FFS if he can't be responceable enough to turn up on time he dervers what he gets.

Lemarsh i agree the punishments should be consistent throughout but this just yet again shows how poorly the national game of this country is run :rolleyes:

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

No I agree hes a fool, I even went further in a previous post :)

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Agreed - Rio is a fool (and probably thought he was more important than the testers) - deserves a major talking to (and money fines are wasted on their salaries) & a ban to show who is boss, and that others can expect similar treatment.

But must agree with the state of the National Game. The FA have lost the impetus, and are trying to correct it in one go. They need to go back to basics, get everyone on side, and ensure that any disiplinary actions are dealt with within 2 weeks. Joe Cole is another example, where Chelsea are being punished for a crime he committed last season for West Ham. Not fair on Chelsea (and that from a Fulham supporter!!)

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Edgar Davids - Fails drug test. Tests positve for nandrolone = 4 month ban

Jaap Stam - Fails drug test. Tests positve for nandrolone = 5 month ban

Rio Ferdinand - Misses drugs test, tests clean 2 days later = 8 Month ban

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Pity they never took a step further -

Take away all his medals and deducted United Points for some games he played and while we are at it why strip some of his England Caps and points from their qualifying games.

Back to reality the FA is as much as a laughing stock as the Justice system in this country.

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

i think the penalty was too harsh they should have fined him yes he forgot but he offered to take the test at a later date

he has not been found positive for anything those who have done worse have got these types of sentences

Eric Cantona
Nine months and community service for kicking a fan

Mark Bosnich
Nine months after failing a drugs test for cocaine

Vinnie Jones
Six months (suspended for three years) and £20,000 fine for commentary in a video glorifying football violence and dirty tricks

Roy Keane
Five weeks, and £150,00 0 fine for comments made about Alfie Haaland in his autobiography

Rio Ferdinand
Eight months and £50,000 fine for failing to take a drugs test

see something wrong here ?

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

I have not really paid much attention to this story (not being a MUFC fan) - what was his actual reason for not taking the test ?

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

His reason was that he simply forgot becuase he was moving house.

A pretty crap excuse I know, but about the same level as "I was picking my mother up from the airport"

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

Do ya mean consistant throughout the game of football? Or consistant throughout all sports?

Wonder what'd of happened if he was a Arsenal Player :eek: :rofl:

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

If it was an Arsenal Player, the ban would have been imposed after the last game of the season, and finnishes before the first game of the new season!!!

:D

Re: Rio Ferdinand
 

:rofl: :LOL: