For the memory impaired people, Cantona was immediately suspended by Manchester United until the end of that season. They agreed a 5 month ban with the FA and later on, the FA changed their mind after agreeing a deal and also helped him get police conviction.

Football has different rules to Athletics. Just as Baseball, Cricket, Rugby, Basketball and just about every other sport under the sun do. Personally I feel the athletics rules are too severe especially considering how they treated the likes of Mark Richardson and Dougie Walker.

You mean like there was for Stam, Davids, that Man City player nobody can remember, etc?

You might expect the same but their aren't concrete rules and that's the problem. It's been a clear case of rules for one person and rules for others. Why did Blatter stick his nose in this case when he didn't for any others? Why were there 3 members of the FA on the 8 man commission deciding the case? Why did it take 3 months to get a ruling?

How long would it take you to piss in a cup? :p

Seriously it takes less than a week to have a sample checked and results of the test made available. Remember, Rio actually passed his drug test.

Yeah that's why United are pissed eh! :roll:

You think any member of G14 is going to sit by and watch FIFA go at Man United? I don't think so! All it takes is for someone to piss them off and every member of G14 quits FIFA and makes their own federation.

Yeah I agree, I would rather see Chelsea win the league then England win the World Cup, I support England, but I don't give a shit really, Chelsea are the only team I actually always care about. England are gay.

Why the hell would the G14 leave FIFA at Man U's beck and call :wtf: If the G14 quits FIFA I will eat all my faeces.

You may think its a case of different rules and they are. THINGS HAVE CHANGED since the Negouai case.

Palios has come in to crack down on drugs. FIFA have said they are going to crack down on drugs.

Added to this was the fact that Rio and Man U refused to accept that they had done wrong. Requesting a personal hearing to lay the blame at the FA's door is not going to endear themselves to the FA. Rio didn't even accept the charge of "the failure or refusal by a player to submit to drug testing as required by a competent official".

HOW THE HELL can he claim that he didn't fail to take a drugs test.

Maybe if he accepted the damn charge, accept his own error and moved on then he wouldnt hhve got such a long ban.

Mask, Dazz, you unpatriotic sons of bitches.

Erm i'd like to see you take a piss after training, de-hydration can be a factor with players which is why the test should have been carried out before not after training.

Sepp Blatter seems to think he is bigger than everybody else when in fact these clubs in the G14 can lobby for him to be ousted from the position or as ROB said can break away and form a separate federation. This is the man who was accused of taking bribes only last year for the promise of hosting a world cup. Blatter is not an honerable man and he has no right to say a worldwide ban could be imposed on any team for a matter such as this. Who is he to get involved in the FAs dealings, FIFA maybe the governing body but all the federations that are part of FIFA should be able to run there association as they see fit and well. Manchester United are standing by a player who has done nothing more than forget/fail to take a drugs test, i don't condone this "forgetting" to take a test but the guy did pass one 36 hrs later and probably would have passed it that same day had the FAs people let him come back. Any other team would have had the FA on their side and the FA would not have released the players name. IT IS ONE RULE FOR MAN UTD AND ONE RULE FOR EVERYBODY ELSE.

Why the hell should the FA have to wait on a player who left KNOWING he had a drugs test to take. Ferdinand deliberately left the ground, 3 of his team mates took the test, yet he chose not too, he left the ground and did whatever it is he did, the FA should not be forced to sit around waiting for a player who appears to believe he doesn't have to take the test. Their are no excuses for Ferdinand's actions, and that is why the ban has been enforced as harshly as it has.

Also, as a former Torquay Utd trainee I can go on record as saying most of the players i played with needed a piss after playing, and just went. You seem to forget that drinks are readily available to prevent dehydration, so what your saying has no foundation. Besides, the whole point of a RANDOM drugs test is that the FA turn up at some point during training unannounced, this, as I have explained a few times, is so that they can catch out those who may have cheated.

Sepp Blatter is, I agree, a bit overboard on occasions, however you seem to forget that as the FIFA president, he has the power to do what he sees fit. G14 isn't as powerful as everyone seems to think they are. They aren't even recognised by FIFA as a footballing organisation, and the 14 clubs involved, are not the biggest clubs in Europe, so the power they have is in fact limited. You also seem to forget that in any type of federal state, the states (in this case the FA) have the ability to make their own rules, but they are still dictated to but the head of the state, in this case its FIFA. Therefore, if FIFA feel the FA are not doing what they should be, they have the right to intervene, which is what Blatter is doing.

Manchester United do, of course, have the right to stand by the player, however they cannot surely argue that the player is not guilty, although they have to say this, because they are as guilty as Ferdinand is. Ferdinand taking a test within 36 hours (although Ferdinand himself stated 72, so yes, there is something up here).

The only reason you United fans are saying all of this, is because your angry at the outcome. We don't know what would have happened if it had been a high-profile Arsenal or Chelsea player, but I have reason to believe Palios IS doing what he can to stamp out drugs in the game, and to be tougher on those who are bringing the game into disrepute by not taking tests. The FA were well within their rights to give Ferdinand an 8 month ban, and FIFA are well within their rights to punish United, if they feel the situation arises. It's nothing to do with it being Manchester United, get out of your own asses.

They won't quit FIFA because FIFA are going to cave to Man United. G14, not FIFA is the most powerful group in football and they know it. It was an extreme example.