Ferdinand Launches Ban Appeal

Last week Ferdinand confirmed that while the appeal process is going on, he would begin serving his ban from January 20th. The defeat at Molineux was the last game he can play until the ban is over, but the length of the ban could be altered when the appeal is heard.

The Football League has received a 125-page document from United explaining their case about the reasons behind Ferdinand missing the test, and a three-man panel, chaired by a legally qualified non-FA representative to review the appeal.

Ferdinand is desperate to represent England in the upcoming European Championships held in Portugal, but obviously under the rules of the ban slapped on the defender by the FA he would be forced to miss the tournament. He will need his ban sliced in half is Ferdinand is to be able to play in the tournament, with England's campaign kicking-off against France on June 13th.

The saga, which is quickly turning into a farce, looks likely to go on and on with the appeal not likely to be heard before the beginning of March. It also remains unsure whether Ferdinand will be able to officially start his suspension due to the ongoing nature of the case.

Following the FA's confirmation that the request of an appeal was received, Manchester United made the following statement which yet again confirms their support for Rio Ferdinand.

"The decision follows discussions between the club, the players and his lawyers,"

"Whilst Rio Ferdinand accepts that he missed an unannounced drugs test and publicly apologises for that, he continues to maintain that he did not miss the test deliberately and that he did not have any reason to avoid it."

There is the danger that Ferdinand's ban could be increased after the appeal, but in my opinion the original harsh sentence will be cut to something in the region of three months, allowing the 25-year-old to play for England during the Euro 2004 competition.

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