It has been revealed today that
Manchester City 's Kolo Toure failed a
drugs test which was taken after the
Manchester derby.
In April 2003, Mark Bosnich was
banned for 9 months and fined £10k
for failing a drugs test.
In December 2003, Rio Ferdinand
was banned for 8 months and fined
£50k for missing a drugs test.
In November 2004, Adrian Mutu
was banned for 7 months and fined
£20k for failing a drugs test.
As far as I'm concerned, missing a
drugs test should be punished the
same as failing. However, the case
of Rio Ferdinand is distinctly different
from just any old "missed drugs
test" story.
Before training, he was told along
with two other players that he
would be tested for drugs after
training. Training ended and Rio flew
off to town, where he was pictured
shopping. At 2.02pm he
remembered the drugs test and
called the club to ask could he come
back for the test. The testers told
him he was too late, however they
didn 't leave Carrington until 2.27pm,
which would have been enough
time to return for the test. UEFA's
website confirmed that Rio had
asked to take the test on the same
day but was told it was too late. An
important point to mention is that
drug-test procedures do not have a
time limit so there was no reason
why the testers couldn 't have
waited, given the implications of
what him not taking the test were.
Rio was tested for drugs at their
next convenience, two days later,
and that test came back negative.
Before Rio's ban and fine had been
announced, PFA chief Gordon
Taylor was confident, like many,
that there would be no problem in
clearing the defender 's name, after
the evidence that Rio's plea to take
the test before the testers have left
was rejected.
"If I was representing the FA and
they asked me should it go ahead, I
would say that unless they can
mount an emphatic challenge to this
evidence it should not, " he said.
"We don't want to sweep anything
under the carpet but the case is now
far from cut and dried. It is clear the
testers should have stayed. Not
enough was done to ensure Rio
took the test on that day. It is not
good enough to just leave when he
was prepared to make it back."
After Rio's unprecedented
punishment was handed out, Rio
offered to have a hair follicle test,
which would have given results for
the past 6 months, dating before his
original test date, but the FA declined
his request.
The MEN reported at the time: The
FA does not appear to dispute
Ferdinand 's claims that he has never
taken drugs – they have not listed
him for target-testing, which would
be the usual procedure for any
player suspected of being a drug
user. And their refusal to get
involved in hair follicle testing is
further evidence that they do not
question Ferdinand's claims that he
is drug-free. They maintain the
punishment is for his failure to take
the test alone.
The whole episode was an absolute
farce and illustrates the idiocy of
fans claiming United are given
preferential treatment by the FA. The
unjust nature of this incident is
heightened when you look at the
case of Christian Negouai, a
Manchester City player, who missed
a drugs test just months before Rio.
Negouai was due to take a pre-
arranged drugs test at City 's training
ground but at the appointed time he
went missing, later explaining that
he had had to collect his mother
from the airport. He claimed that he
was delayed in traffic and by the
time he made it he had missed the
test. He was given no ban and was
fined just £2,000.
What does this mean for Toure
then? Slapped wrists no doubt.
Out of interest, bans in English
football since Mutu:
26 Jan 2010: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 2-month ban. Player:
Secret
26 Jan 2010: Marijuana — warning.
Player: Secret
10 Oct 2009: Ephedrine — 9-month
ban (to 21 Apr 2010) and two years'
target testing. Player: Paddy Kenny
5 Oct 2009: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 5-month ban. Player:
Secret
29 Sep 2009: Cocaine — 6-month
ban. Player: Secret
29 May 2009: Marijuana — 4-month
ban. Player: Ged Smith
27 Apr 2009: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 6-month ban. Player:
Secret
3 Mar 2009: Benzylpiperazine /
Benzoylecgonine (cocaine) — 4-
month ban. Player: Secret
3 Mar 2009: Marijuana — formal
warning. Player: Secret
27 Nov 2008: Marijuana — formal
warning / reprimand. Player: Secret
17 Oct 2008: Marijuana — 4-month
ban. Player: Secret
26 Sep 2008: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 3-month ban. Player:
Secret
12 Sep 2008: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 5-month ban. Player:
Secret
20 Sep 2008: Marijuana — formal
warning / reprimand. Player: Secret
11 Jan 2008: Failure to comply — 2-
year ban. Player: Secret
3 Sep 2007: Marijuana — formal
warning. Player: Secret
15 Mar 2007: Terbutaline — formal
warning . Player: Secret
10 Jan 2007: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 6-month ban. Player:
Secret
5 Jan 2007: Marijuana — warning,
target testing. Player: Secret
16 Oct 2006: Marijuana — warning,
target testing. Player: Secret
3 Oct 2006: Ephedrine (stimulant) —
6-month ban. Player: Danny
Cadamarteri
6 Sep 2006: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 7-month ban. Player:
Shaun Newton
10 Jul 2006: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 6-month ban. Player:
Secret
22 Mar 2006: Benzoylecgonine
(cocaine) — 6-month ban. Player:
Secret
22 Mar 2006: Marijuana — warning,
target testing for two years. Player:
Secret
19 Jan 2006: Marijuana — ban, lifted
after assessment. Player: Secret
17 Jan 2006: Cocaine — 6-month
ban. Player: Secret
20 Oct 2005: Cocaine — 6-month
ban. Player: Secret
24 Jun 2005: Cocaine — indefinite
ban after third positive test. Player:
Secret
24 Jun 2005: Failure to comply —
banned indefinitely. Player: Olafur
Gottskalksson)
8 Jun 2005: MDMA (ecstasy) — 6-
month ban. Player: Secret8 Jun
2005: Cannabis — 6-month ban.
Player: Secret
8 Jun 2005: Cannabis — 6-month
ban. Player: Secret
16 May 2005: Cocaine — 12-month
ban. Player: Secret
14 Jan 2005: MDMA (ecstasy) —
warning. Player: Secret
————

Could this be a new trend? This is sad one.

sad news to the city fans