Ferdinand takes no chances

Rio Ferdinand arrived an hour early for his misconduct hearing at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.

Sporting a new braided hairstyle, the 25-year-old defender looked pensive as he entered the adjoining De Vere Hotel alongside Manchester United director and solicitor Maurice Watkins.

The pair met up with the head of Ferdinand’s legal team Ronald Thwaites QC to finalise preparations for the two-day hearing, which was due to commence at 11am.

Earlier, Watkins and Thwaites had accompanied the three-man disciplinary commission – made up of Barry Bright, Peter Heard and Frank Pattison – to United’s Carrington training ground.

The trio were shown round the multi-million pound complex, the site where Ferdinand should have taken his drugs test on September 23.

The commission will hear confirmation that Ferdinand left Carrington without providing a urine sample and will then decide what punishment the £30m (€42.6m) defender should face.

Over the course of the next two days, the England international is likely to claim he merely forgot to take the test and offered to return to Carrington after being contacted by United medical staff.

It is claimed UK Sport drug testing officials refused Ferdinand permission to do so even though the player was under the two-hour time limit he believed he had to take the test.

Among numerous witness statements on Ferdinand’s behalf, is one from England boss Sven-Goran Eriksson, who was angered at having to pull the defender out of the Euro 2004 qualifier with Turkey in October as a result of the allegations levelled against him.

United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was also expected to give evidence in person, as was Ferdinand’s former West Ham team-mate Eyal Berkovic, who was with the centre-half in Manchester city centre when he was told he had failed to take the test.

The case has attracted widespread publicity, with PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor among those who have condemned the FA for making the case public.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has also been vocal on the issue, blasting the FA for the length of time it has taken them to hold the hearing.

Blatter has suggested he will personally intervene if he does not believe the eventual punishment is severe enough, a move which has angered United.

Old Trafford officials have pointed to the relatively minor fine imposed on Manchester City’s Christian Negouai, who committed a similar offence earlier in the season, and believe Ferdinand should also receive only a financial penalty.

Ferdinand faces a maximum two-year suspension if the case against him is proved.