Muddying The Waters
‘THE Rio Ferdinand case continues to be a clear as mud. Well, that not entirely true, since we all know that Rio did miss the drugs test and was found guilty of wilfully doing so by an independent panel.
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| Lies, damned lies and Rio’s defence |
What is unclear is whether the player is going to take his punishment like a man or moan about it until such time as it either goes way or he reaches retirement age.
The Mail (Rio U-turn) says that the player is ready to drop plans for an appeal against his eight-month ban. He, apparently, realises that failure to win a reprieve could mean a stiffer sentence.
This sounds sensible, if not entirely noble.
But the Express takes a different line: Furious Rio is ready to fight on after FA drugs dossier rejects his story.
The paper has seen the FAs report into the matter and the organisations finding that the players story was a fabrication, an untruth, a lie. Rio is unhappy at that and will fight to clear his name.
Oh, please! If he would only have accepted his wrongdoing weeks ago he would, perhaps, have placed himself in line for a shorter sentence. As it is, he moaned, bleated and lost.
And while we are talking of bad losers at Old Trafford, the Mirror brings news of how Alex Ferguson has been accused of poaching PSV Eindhoven star Arjen Robben.
The Mirror says that Ferguson approached the player and invited him to visit Manchester Uniteds Carrington training complex. The young striker came.
While this visit seems to have gone down well with Robben, who suggests that he would now like to play for the Red Devils, PSVs president Harry van Raaij is far from chuffed.
I have a bad relationship with Ferguson and I dont like the way he goes about his business, says the Dutchman.
In the past he has accused Ferguson of scandalous behaviour in the matters of the transfers of Jaap Stam and Ruud Van Nistelrooy.
But if we really want to see a fight, we must do as the Sun does and turn to matters boxing. There we learn that Lennox Lewis is planning a rematch with Vitali Klitschko.
The bout should put a few more quid the Lewis bank account – £15m by the Suns reckoning. And give us fight fans something to read about other than squabbling, charmless footballers.’
Posted: 6th, January 2004 | In: Back pages Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
