Ferdinand146;s no fall guy for FA

Grandstanding or for the good of the game? The English FA faced both these charges after its case against Manchester United defender Rio Fer...

Grandstanding or for the good of the game? The English FA faced both these charges after its case against Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was upheld by an independent commission on Friday. The player was given an eight-month ban, effective January 12, for missing a drugs test in September.

Ferdinand, 25, has denied using drugs and passed a doping test 36 hours after he should have taken the original one.

While the majority opinion was that what happened was for football8217;s benefit, there was a feeling, obviously within the United family, that the FA was using Ferdinand as a test case, making an example out of him as a warning to others. The club reacted sharply, calling the ban 8216;8216;savage and unprecedented8217;8217; and asserting its right to appeal.

It was pointed out that Ferdinand8217;s ban was longer than that handed out in Italy to Dutch players Edgar Davids and Jaap Stam after they tested positive for nandrolone. And Australian goalkeeper Mark Bosnich was banned for nine months in April for testing positive for cocaine while at Chelsea.

But United 8212; whose vigorous defending of their player was seen as 8216;8216;self-serving8217;8217; 8212; don8217;t have much of a leg to stand on. First, though the ban was lengthier than anticipated three months was the consensus, it was well within the maximum possible of two years.

More importantly, after a spate of incidents regarding football players 8212; in a bad year for the sport in England, footballers were charged with serious crimes including rape, assault and racism 8212; the FA did indeed need to send out a message to football players.

The message was that it was time for highly paid professionals to put duty and responsibility ahead of other pursuits. That they 8212; and their clubs 8212; cannot take their position for granted and get away with breaches of the law. That basic discipline 8212; and dope-testing is far above that 8212; should be followed by all.

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Not surprisingly, the verdict was welcomed by the FA 8212; 8216;8216;clearly the Commission regarded not taking a drugs test as a very serious matter and took their decision accordingly8217;8217;, it said 8212; but the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA couldn8217;t resist a jibe. Ferdinand had been dealt with leniently, its chief Dick Pound said: 8216;8216;The ban was only one third of the theoretical maximum, so I should have thought he8217;s done pretty well if you at it from his perspective.8217;8217;

The irony is that Ferdinand has, till now, been a model footballer. On the pitch, he8217;s an elegant, if occasionally lazy, central defender in the Bobby Moore mould, one of England8217;s few successes in the last World Cup.

Off the pitch, he is deeply involved in community work; having grown up in the tough East End of London, he8217;s been quick to give back to his community, especially through his support of the 8216;Kick it Out8217; anti-racism campaign.

But his easygoing nature has been his undoing this time. Even his ardent supporters will not deny that 8216;8216;forgetting8217;8217; to take a dope test is a viable excuse. Maybe the wrong man has paid the price, but the price had to be paid. In full, for the good of the game.

With agency reports