Sponsors may dump banned Ferdinand

A LEADING sports lawyer has claimed that Rio Ferdinand faces the loss of several key sponsors as a result of his eight-month drugs ban.

The Manchester United defender has key deals with sportswear giant Nike and top clothing brand Ben Sherman.

Nike have previously stated their intention to stand by the stg£29.3million star but Mel Goldberg feels sponsors will now be looking closely at the small print of their contracts with the player following Ferdinand's failure to take a drug test.

"Most sponsorship deals have clauses in them relating to good behaviour and companies have the right to terminate them in the event of bad behaviour," he said yesterday.

"If the ban is upheld Rio is not going to be a lot of use to sponsors for the eight months he will be out.

"Under those circumstances, Rio's sponsors are going to be looking at their contracts very carefully."

The punishment imposed on Ferdinand has divided the sporting world.

The defender's former West Ham manager Harry Redknapp has again expressed surprise at the length of the suspension while others point to the automatic two-year ban the 25-year-old would have received if he had been an Olympic athlete as evidence he has got off lightly.

It has also led to a widening of the rift between United and the FA, which will not be helped by Alex Ferguson's claims that the Old Trafford outfit would be prepared to take the matter to court should the appeal not prove successful.

Yet Goldberg believes such aggressive posturing has not helped Ferdinand. "I can understand where Manchester United are coming from," he admitted. "This is a player they purchased for stg£30million he is the most expensive defender in the world.

"Rio has had the best legal advice he could get, but they might have got a better result if they had held their hands up to Rio forgetting to take the test, apologised and said they would accept whatever sentence was imposed.

"They haven't done that. Instead United have adopted bullying tactics but sometimes, when your client is not doing well, the best defence is to hold your hands up and say sorry.

"Rio must remember the ban is not as harsh as it could have been. In most other sports, he would have been suspended for two years.

"If he appeals, he has to show certain factors were overlooked. He should also be aware the sentence can be increased. It has happened in other cases and it's possible in this one too."