Wow - I'm deeply impressed - someone pulls you up on the pile of crap you have just written so you try and demean them by inferring they are childlike. You must have gone to the Oscar Wilde school of witty comebacks - shame you failed on the induction day for lack of creativity.... Anyway - no-one gives a toss what would happen to you at your work. The relevant comparison is to draw to another Premiership footballer. As I said, there is a clear precedent for this and it does not involve suspensions etc. If he was so guilty then why did he return to the ground two hours later only to find the FA reps had left already? Hmm - why let facts get in the way of an embittered rant........
The whole situation looks crazy to me. It looks to me as though Manchester United players (past and present) are leading this 'strike' and I wouldn't think that Sir Alex Ferguson (despite being Scottish) would want Manchester United blamed in any way if England was to lose on Saturday.
Yes little boy I'm afraid it is childlike to go around message boards calling people names and insulting them. If you insist on doing that go over to World Rivalries where you can shout and scream till your blue in the face. I on the other hand am just pissed off by all the media hype and reactions from everyone else in the run up to the final game of qualification. It's bad enough that we have everyone and there mother going on and on about crowd trouble and violence, and now the players are saying they won't play so we get disqualified from Euro 2004. Whether ferdinand took drugs or not I don't really care. He missed the test so the FA should have resolved the matter quicker and the whole thing should have been swept aside and nothing more said of it. Unfortunately the FA have been unable to do that (for reasons best known to themselves) so we have to get on and play the game and live with the consequences. Whats so unreasonable about that?
That viewpoint is fine but that bears no resemblance to what you wrote initially does it? Do you really believe the players would strike for the game on Saturday? IMHO the answer is hell no, they're trying to call the FA's bluff. The FA have screwed this up - they could have applied the same penalty to Rio as they did to the other Premiership player last season. There is no reason they couldn't have held the hearing well before the game - they've known about this for 2 weeks for gods sake. Pallios has been mumbling on about speeding up disciplinary procedures - well, here was the perfect chance to do so and still keep the interests of the national team at heart. Yes, Rio was stupid to have missed the test in the first place but the FA have made that mistake look amateur in their handling of the situation.....
Even though I feel sorry for Rio Ferdinand, I think the FA have no choice but to ban him from playing. It just couldn't have come at a worse time though and my worry now is that just when the players minds need to be on one of our biggest games in years, they will all be messed up with this Rio saga plus talk of a boycott. Nightmare stuff
There were suggestions for the new England team (if selected players really go on strike). Somebody recommended this line up: Carlton Cole, Jermaine Jenas, Jody Morris, Joe Cole, Jermaine Pennant, Titus Bramble, Keiron Dyer, Lee Bowyer, Shoala Ameobi, and Wayne Quinn. The above players really proved they can score.
RIO URGES PLAYERS TO PLAY Wednesday 8th October 2003 Rio Ferdinand has urged his England team-mates not to go-ahead with their proposed strike and to play against Turkey this weekend. The Manchester United star phoned several of his colleagues to ask them to play in Istanbul after learning of their plans to strike unless he was restored to the squad. The players are furious with Ferdinand's enforced exclusion from the trip to Istanbul on Saturday, after the Manchester United defender failed to attend a random drug test. They have held showdown talks with Football Association officials in a bid to have the decision overturned, but the governing body insist the player will not travel. Talks are continuing between both parties as they seek to reach a compromise ahead of the crucial Euro 2004 qualifier.
I agree. The FA have apparently decided to beef up their enforcement of the drugs policy this year, taking a much more hard line, possibly even 'zero tolerance.' It was Rio's responsibility to be there and Utds to ensure he was. Any blame should be placed squarely on those shoulders, not the FA's. I recall reading somewhere that the missed test was on 23 Sept. That's 2 weeks ago, so the FA have had time to have a look and determine the legitamacy of his story. That done, they decided to ban him effective immediately. His 'crime' is missing a test for reasons that were not acceptable to the FA, not using drugs, which I would suspect would get him a much longer term ban. This may be all the punishment he gets other than a fine. We've all got to stop crying over spilled milk and get this behind us, especially the players, and move forward with the goal of eating Turkey for dinner come Saturday.
Re: Re: Ferdinand Drug test. One would think it's in the FA's best interest to make sure these tests are completed as well. Rio was 2 hours late getting back and it took 2 days for the testers to come back? The fact that Rio was available and willing to take the test 2 hours after schedule should be noted, especially as he has no prior drug-related problems as well as tested clean for everything two days after. Well done to Rio for calling his team-mates to urge them on to play and win against Turkey. Missing Rio is going to be difficult, but I think some team unity was built this week because of this as well....
Re: Re: Ferdinand Drug test. No, the point is that the FA have not made any decision at all, they haven't even had the initial interview to establish what his story is. That's why there is an outcry, because they've published his name and sanctioned him by pulling him out of the squad before he's even been found guilty of anything.
Whiter or not Ferdinand "ran" from the test or genuinely forget is a minor issue IMO. What is interesting is why it took so long as 36 hours after he was informed he missed the test until he actually did test. If the reason is that UK Sports testers was not available until after that time then Ferdinand deserves a slap on the wrist but not anything like the FA has punished him with now. If on the other side Ferdinand was the reason that it took 36 hours for the tests to be done, he should be considered to have failed the test and should be punished accordingly. BTW this link might be of interest: http://manchestercity.rivals.net/default.asp?sid=914&p=2&stid=8324939
That's the whole point of my post. But people don't seem to get it. I have been accused of not knowing the game of football because of this line-up. It's not my fault goalkeepers haven't raped anybody.
There will be no boycott, the players have decided to go ahead with the game, and have issued a statement to that effect (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/3176224.stm) It says, among other things, that the orginization that they represent (the FA) has "failed us [the players] very badly" and that Rio was, essentially, suspended for this match without due process, creating a situation that has ultimately made the team "weaker against the wishes of manager and players". There's also the usual pride at representing your country, and focus on the goal stuff meant to make the fans feel confident again, and a claim that there will be no more statements from the players on this until after the match (Though you know that the Turkish media, and more importantly, the Turkish fans will let them have it for this) So, hopefully, that's the end of it. It could have been so easy too. Rio misses, for whatever reason, the test. It's not all that difficult for the guy with the bottles of urine to call the FA and say "hey, we're one sample short". The FA talks to the player, team, and whoever else is relevant, and then they give a statement saying "we're dealing with the problem, and starting from this incident, anyone missing a drugs test will be ineligible for selection to the national team for the next match". 3 days max, and it's all over. It may still be a bad decision, but the FA gets to look proactive. Instead, they point-blank said "the hearing is not until after the match, but we're going to go ahead and suspend him anyway, but it's not a punishment". They look weak, the players get pissed, and there's just one more distraction to go along with the referee, and the potential of travelling fans, and the Turkish fans, and oh, yeah, the Turkish TEAM, who aren't that bad either. At this point, England winning the match may almost be as much of a shock as Turkey winning it.
Fux sake! Come on folks. Rio is guilty of one thing. He didn't take tha test at the appointed time. FA rules (and probably FIFA rules) say that is an offence. It don't matter if he "forgot" or decided not to give a Urine sample at the time, the simple fact is that he didn't give the sample when he was supposed to. Like any other major sport, the drug's people will deem it as a suspicion of drugs in his system at the time, - cos nobody knows for sure now do they? Rio is probably more guilty of being a pratt more then anything else, but I don't think his colleagues in the England team have helped matters. Make no mistake, the threatened boycott was a Man U led thing.
By the way. Any truth in the rumour that BCFC have approached the FA to claim the points from the Old Trafford game? Inelegible (is that the right word? - you know what i mean!) player. Hmmm... Interesting.
I would think that Ferdinand can't be declared ineligible until the FA have a hearing and make a ruling, so this is probably just a rumor. He was only declared ineligible to be selected for England, that decision did not affect his club status. He does have a hearing scheduled for Monday, and the formal punishment should just be a fine, as happened to another Premeirship player last season.
Rio's excuses, the club's whining for him, and the national team threatening to go on strike are all a bunch of crap. There is no genuine mistake when it comes to a drug test when you know "forgetting" means you don't play.
Re: Fux sake! the ringleader being the moron Neville (doesn't matter which one, they are both morons).
How does it feel to be perfect and never make a mistake? Obviously you must be to judge Rio in this case with the limited facts you have...
We all make mistakes, but this was too important to forget. I rank an appointment for this drug test with so much on the line similar to a tryout with a football club, or an interview for employment, or taking a Midterm/Final at school. You just don't "forget" these type of events.
....and I'd rank it right up there with dental appointments, etc. = easy to forget. though the consequences are, as we've all seen, a lot more serious. these are routine drug tests, as far as I know. crewtoon: that horse you're on is the tallest I've seen in while.
This subject seems to be attracting some fairly strong opposing views from posters on these boards. From what I can see most people seem to be viewing this as a "black or white" situation (either the fault lies with the FA or with Rio). My opinion is this is somewhat simplistic and no-one is coming out of this with any credit. 1) Rio is at fault for missing the test, no question. What his reasons were, no-one apart from Rio knows - everything else is pure speculation. 2) Man Utd were at fault for allowing him to leave the training ground without taking the test - they would have known the implications for missing such a test. 3) The testers themselves were at fault for allowing Rio to leave the ground without taking the test. These guys are paid what is probably a "good" salary to take these samples and the failure to do so reflects on their ability to do their jobs. 4) The FA are at fault for approving and presiding over a flawed process for the taking of these samples. Compare the sampling procedures with the IAAF, for example. Any athelete who is picked for a random sample is not allowed out of the presence of the tester from the moment they are informed of the requirement for the sample until the sample has actually been given. Why is this standard not applied to football? I also believe the FA are at fault for their handling of Rio in light of the missed test. Why was the disciplinary hearing not held before the Turkey game. If the FA were worried about the situation of Turkey contesting the result of tomorrows game (should England achieve the draw/win they require) then why was Rio allowed to play for Man U against Stuttgart and Birmingham? Why was Rios confidentialty rights ignored? It would have been very simple for the FA to include Rio in the squad for the Turkey game but then "invent" some minor injury (dead-leg etc) to account for his not playing. This way no-one would have been any the wiser and the hearing could have gone ahead in the manner to which Rio was entitled (ie in confidence). Whilst fault lies in all corners in this whole incident, my personal opinion is that the FA have appeared the most useless of them all. Football governing bodies worldwide appear to be stuck in the mid 20th century - the game and (most) of the clubs have dealt with the popularity/money/media attention that has occurred in the last 15 years, why is it that the governing bodies have not dealt with this in the same way?
Obviously, the FA should be lumped in with United on this as the implications of missing the test have greatly affected the FA and the England squad over the last few days.