Ferdinand holds out hope

REPENTANT Rio Ferdinand has thrown his European Championship dream at the mercy of a three-man Football Association appeals panel.

The Manchester United defender last night announced he intends to challenge his eight-month ban for a missed drugs test but crucially confirmed he would start his suspension on Monday anyway.

In what will be constituted as a stepdown after the aggressive tone Ferdinand and the Old Trafford camp have previously adopted in the four-month long saga, the £29.3million record signing also offered a formal apology for his ‘mistake’.