Ban stands for Rio

RIO FERDINAND was last night declared drug free – but it hasn’t been enough to save his European Championship dream.

For the second time in three months, the £29.3m Manchester United defender faced a blaze of flashlights and attempted to come to terms with an eight-month suspension for a costly missed drugs test at his club's Carrington training ground on September 23 last year.

Unless he decides to go for and win another appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Switzerland, Ferdinand will now be banned from all football until September 20, ruling him out of the rest of United's ailing Premiership campaign, the start of the next one, plus the whole of Euro 2004 and England's first two World Cup qualifiers in Poland and Austria.

It's a hefty penalty for an act of forgetfulness, which is what the independent appeal panel indirectly acknowledged Ferdinand was guilty of when their verdict was announced following two-and-a-half hours' deliberation.

However, the hard-line stance of FA chief executive Mark Palios ensured the original suspension was upheld, even if the panel, chaired by leading QC Ian Mill, rejected the governing body's desire to see the punishment increased to 12 months.

Panel spokesman Nick Barron confirmed: "In reaching our conclusion, the appeal board discounted the possibility that Mr Ferdinand's reasons for not taking the test were drug-related.

"But having considered the matter very fully, the appeal board have today dismissed Mr Ferdinand's appeals, both against conviction and sanction.

"They have also rejected the FA's contention that the period of suspension should be increased. Accordingly, Mr Ferdinand will remain suspended until September 20, 2004."

United director and lawyer Maurice Watkins led the delegation which hoped to have the ban cut to a length which would allow Ferdinand to play a full part in pre-season training.

Watkins blasted the initial punishment as 'savage and unprecedented' when it was meted out in December but he toned down his disappointment at the outcome at today's hearing.

"Rio is naturally disappointed," said Watkins.

"We believe the suspension of eight months was unduly harsh and unprecedented."

A United statement later added: "We are disappointed given the nature of the appeal.

"As the detailed judgment has not yet been received, it is impossible at this stage for the club to make any further comment".

Having expressed his own hope that Ferdinand may get a reduction in his punishment, England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is sure to be dismayed.

Ferdinand will now take advice on the issue before deciding whether to push the matter further.

However, the amount of leniency the defender can expect is open to question with the Court of Arbitration based in Switzerland, the powerbase of FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Blatter had threatened to intervene if the punishment was reduced and as recently as yesterday former Olympic champion Lord Coe suggested the former Leeds and West Ham star had escaped lightly.

Ferdinand came to yesterday's hearing armed with fresh evidence, an analysis of his hair follicles, which he claimed showed he was not on drugs at the time of the hearing.

While the evidence was irrelevant to the charge he failed to take the test, it at least helped to clear Ferdinand of any suggestion he had deliberately avoided the test because he had something to hide.

That is at least a small crumb of comfort for a player who is now taken out of the game in his prime, and it will not help Alex Ferguson much either as he tries to steer his team out of their present crisis.