|
But hopefully the FA can bring the matter to a swift conclusion now, free from any of the absurd reaction which has characterised the saga to date. Given the volley of protest thrown at the FA since the story broke, any one would think he had been treated unfairly.
These are the facts. He was selected at Manchester United’s Carrington training ground to take a random drug test. For what ever reason, he did not take the test - and whatever his mitigation, the fact is he is guilty of missing it. The onus then is inevitably on him to clear his name, rather than on anyone else to prove the case. As any lawyer will tell you, the situation is often the same in general law.
So in no way has the FA been unreasonable in charging him. Nor were the FA wrong in making the news public, because they didn’t do it; Manchester United did. The only question is whether he should have been allowed to represent the country in Turkey. Given the potential enormity of the charge hanging over him, it is questionable whether he should be allowed to continue playing at all until his name is cleared, let alone take the international field.
Rules are rules, and there can be no exceptions. Indeed, one of the most striking aspects of the Ferdinand case is the astonishing strength of the lobby who argue that this is no way to treat an England player. The answer, quite simply, must be that it is, because it is the way any other player should be treated in the same situation.
In general, top footballers seem to think they are above the law. Arsenal players brought the game into disrepute with their showing at Old Trafford last month, yet they seemed to think that, with a gallic shrug from their manager and by claiming provocation in a highly pressured environment, the whole affair can be swept under the carpet. When sanctions are brought, they cry foul and mutter darkly about conspiracy theories. After his sending off in the Community Shield, Sol Campbell started threatening to retire from international football if referees didn’t stop sending him off for what those officials deemed to be fouls.
Footballers must learn a simple lesson. The game is not wealthy and popular because of them; they are wealthy and popular because of the game. They are not bigger than the game, and they must respect the rules of the game which earns them their livelihood. If they reach the top, fair play to them - but they must understand that along with the vast rewards they enjoy, they will live under something of a microscope, and if they do not go by the book, then the book will be thrown at them.
The big clubs must start to take a responsibility for their actions, too. If managers and the clubs they work for will not take action against their players where it is necessary, then the governing authorities will be forced to do so. It is this that Arsenal have found to their cost in receiving a record fine this week for the behaviour in hat game at Old Trafford.
For years Arsene Wenger has frustrated all who watch the game by refusing to condemn the less appealing side of his team. The result is that Arsenal’s disciplinary record has continued to fall far below what should be expected. These fines are simply a consequence of Wenger and Arsenal’s failure to do the decent thing themselves.
Similarly, the attitude of Manchester United in attempting to bring pressure to bear on the FA in this instance has been wrong. If one of the results of the regime change at Soho Square is that new chief executive Mark Palios has determined to bring the biggest clubs and players into line, then it is to be applauded.
It is football clubs and football players who benefit from football’s transformation into a commercial giant aimed at a more affluent audience. Footballers at the very highest level are glamorous superstars, but they are also role models.
The very least they can be expected to do is obey the rules of the game which gives them so much. If they don’t they can expect to punished, without exception. And there should be nothing to gained from protesting innocence where there is so obviously none to be found.
