Blanc: Rio axe not down to ‘football reasons’

Stewart Downing insists the backlash against Rio Ferdinand’s snub had not hurt England’s Euro 2012 build-up, as Laurent Blanc waded into the controversy.

Ferdinand’s brother, Anton, also broke his silence on the matter before Blanc became the latest leading figure in the game to suggest the Man United defender was not left at home for “football reasons” ahead of Les Bleus’ clash with England on Monday.

However, Liverpool winger Downing claimed it was not even a topic of conversation at the team’s Krakow base.