Ferdinand left to await his fate

RIO FERDINAND yesterday pleaded his case in front of Football Association chiefs as he was left to await a decision on whether he faces a misconduct charge for failing to take a drugs test.

Ferdinand, who was accompanied by Professional Footballer's Association chief executive Gordon Taylor, spent two hours locked in a meeting in Manchester with FA head of compliance Steve Barrow.

The England defender is expected to be charged by the FA later this week, but was attempting to persuade the governing body not to hit him with the most serious charge of wilfully missing the test.

In a statement released by Manchester United, Ferdinand declared: "In accordance with the FA procedures and timetable, I participated today in an FA interview and provided the association with a full and detailed explanation of my failure to take a random test on September 23.

"My explanation dealt with a number of issues, including the reasons why I failed to attend the test and my attempts to rectify the situation with a test that same day.

"I also reiterated my condemnation of drugs in sport."

Ferdinand has argued that he forgot to take the test on October 23 as he was moving house, but contacted the FA later in the day in a bid to put matters right.

The UK Sport drug-testers had nevertheless already left Manchester United's Carrington training base and it was two days later before the centre-back was able to take and pass another test.

That, however, is not still expected to save him from a charge of missing an anti-doping test as the only defence is not having been informed in the first place and, by forgetting, Ferdinand does not have that excuse.

It could, nevertheless, ensure that he does not face the more serious charge of wilfully missing a drugs test, which carries the potential sanction of a two-year suspension.

The FA, nevertheless, wanted to consider their next step overnight, with a decision not expected until today at the earliest in a controversy which led to the England squad threatening to boycott last weekend's Euro 2004 qualifier in Turkey.

Meanwhile, Arsenal have been granted a further 24 hours to respond to charges against six of their players from the game against Manchester United.

The FA had given Arsenal, and Manchester United, until the end of last week to answer charges brought after disappointing scenes at Old Trafford.

However, Champions League commitments saw that deadline extended until yesterday and although Manchester United have responded, Arsenal have been granted another day.