Don't blame us for delay - Rio commission

The men who handed down Rio Ferdinand’s eight-month ban for missing a drugs test have defended themselves against accusations that they are responsible for the latest delay in the protracted saga.

It was confirmed earlier today that Ferdinand would be free to face Wolves at Molineux on January 17 even though the game is five days after his suspension is due to start.

Official clarification for the reasons behind the punishment is not due to be received by Ferdinand’s legal team until Monday or Tuesday next week, after which the Manchester United defender will have 14 days to decide whether to lodge an appeal.

Old Trafford boss Alex Ferguson today hinted at some irritation inside the United camp at the revised timescale, which could now put an appeal date back to the end of February or the beginning of March.

However, a spokesman on behalf of the three-man commission, which was headed by Barry Bright, tonight outlined the timescale behind the construction of a 32-page document, the largest ever compiled for an FA disciplinary case.

“The independent commission can today confirm that Manchester United requested written explanations of the verdict into the Rio Ferdinand hearing on Tuesday, December 23,” he said.

“The commission and its legal support has worked extensively throughout the Christmas and New Year period to prepare a 32-page document detailing complete explanations to the reasons for the verdict.

“The document has been finalised by the commission’s legal team and is now with the three-man commission for their final approval over the course of this weekend before submitting the papers to Manchester United early next week.

“Clearly it has been imperative to ensure this document clarified all of the facts and this position has been reached within five working days since Manchester United made clear their wish to receive such written explanations.”

The speed with which the commission have reacted to the suggested criticism implies yet more disenchantment with United’s view of proceedings.

It has been mentioned that the Old Trafford outfit waited four days from the end of the two-day hearing on December 19 to lodge their application for clarification, although United officials have previously claimed they made their request on the same day notification of Ferdinand’s ban was confirmed.

“We have been waiting now for over two weeks and that is not helping the player,” Ferguson told MUTV earlier today when informed of the hold-up.

“Rio is handling the situation very well. He has got a great temperament and I just hope it continues that way.”

Even if the former West Ham star decided not to contest the verdict, he would been eligible for up to eight matches – including a possible FA Cup replay against Aston Villa – after his suspension was announced at Bolton’s Reebok Stadium.

Manager Alex Ferguson has pledged to keep picking his record £29.3m (€41.7m) signing as long as he is available, which means he is a certain starter at Villa Park on Sunday when United launch their bid to win the competition for a record 11th time.

Meanwhile, Ferguson has confirmed he is in the hunt for new arrivals during the transfer window but again re-iterated the difficulty he has in bringing the right men.

Potential new recruits Mark Viduka, Louis Saha and Jermain Defoe all pass one of Ferguson’s main criteria – eligibility for Champions League combat – as does Alan Smith, who the United boss is a firm admirer of.

Whether Smith, a lifelong Leeds fan, could be persuaded to join his club’s bitter enemies is open to doubt and Ferguson refused to confirm whether the combative England international is one of the players he has an eye on.

“We are looking at some situations but it is not easy,” he said.

“Since the Champions League started we have always had the possibility of adding to your squad in January but what the transfer window has done is accelerated the speculation and the interest about who is going to be coming in.

“It doesn’t change my job at all. Maybe it makes the situation more frantic at other clubs but certainly not here. At this moment in time we are just looking.”

While some managers criticise the transfer window for the artificial blockade it puts on player movement, Ferguson is a fan.

“A lot of clubs complain about it but I think you should give it a chance,” he said.

“The important thing about it is that it makes every club the same right across Europe.

“In the past some countries operated with a transfer window and some didn’t. I always think we should be operating on the same playing field.”

Ferguson will again be without John O’Shea as the Republic of Ireland full-back has not yet recovered from the hamstring strain he picked up against Everton on St Stephen's Day.

O’Shea has also been ruled out of Wednesday’s Premiership trip to Bolton, although he is hopeful of being fit for the home game with Newcastle on January 11.