Ferguson to appear for Ferdinand
LONDON, England -- Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson is appearing on behalf of his defender Rio Ferdinand on the second day of the England star's hearing for skipping a drugs test in September.
Ferguson will be a character witness as Ferdinand makes his defence to a Football Association misconduct charge which could see him banned for up to two years.
The hearing at Bolton's Reebok Stadium is scheduled to finish on Friday, but could continue into Saturday or even Monday.
A number of witnesses were to give evidence, including Ferguson and Ferdinand's team-mate Nicky Butt, who gave a negative test on the day Ferdinand failed to show up.
Ferdinand has been charged with misconduct by the FA for "failure or refusal" to take a test at United's training ground three months ago. He says he forgot to take the test.
And he claims that when he remembered he rang back but the part-time controllers refused to let him return to be tested.
On Thursday, Ferdinand was accompanied to the hearing by solicitor and United director Maurice Watkins as well as his lawyer Ronald Thwaites.
The pair, who are leading Ferdinand's defence, travelled to United's Carrington training ground with the three members of the commission to view the scene of the player's alleged offence.
Ferdinand passed a drugs test 36 hours after missing his scheduled appointment and has not been picked for England since then.
But he has continued to play for Manchester United, sparking a controversy that has even got FIFA president Sepp Blatter involved.
Blatter wanted Ferdinand suspended until a decision was made, and suggested United could be docked points for the matches they have won with Ferdinand if he is found guilty.
Professional Footballers' Association chief executive Gordon Taylor believes there is little chance of a fair hearing for Ferdinand after so much press scrutiny.
United point out that Manchester City's Christian Negouai escaped suspension and was fined 20,000 pounds when he missed a drugs test under similar circumstances earlier this year.
And United's lawyers stress that Negouai's case was conducted in private.
Ferdinand's case became public when the FA ordered coach Sven-Goran Eriksson to remove him from the team for the October Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey in Istanbul.
Under FA regulations, Ferdinand faces a maximum two-year suspension although most observers believe a three-month ban will eventually be imposed by Barry Bright, who is chairing the three-man disciplinary panel.
However, any suspension would not begin until after the 14-day period Ferdinand will have to lodge an appeal, clearing him to face Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday, plus the following league games against Everton and Middlesbrough.
That would almost certainly bring another stinging attack from Blatter.
The FA are set to overhaul drug testing in football in the fall-out from the Ferdinand affair and appointed former Olympic champion athlete Sebastian Coe to examine procedures.
UK Sport, the agency which masterminds drug testing in the game, are poised to be axed from their 360,000 pound contract after a fall-out with Football Association chief executive Mark Palios.
UK Sport's contract involves them testing more than 1,200 players every season.
