its a joke imo, im pissed, its funny thought, i guess the english fa dont want england to do real good in the euro champ! cuz face it, rio is a better defender than terry and campbell and rio suit each other well even if they play for rivals...

it is nuts... i think they're out of touch. and over obsessed with driving the anti-drugs msg home so bad they're harming football

i wonder if he can appeal the decsion

yeah thats a bit different tho.. rio claims he forgot... he tested negative a short time later..

yeah thats a bit different tho.. rio claims he forgot... he tested negative a short time later..

Oh, i didnt know this "detail". So you are saying he was been selected to make test, but he forgot to do it? Mmm..  

ImO he has to be punished like if he's positive. But even in this case, 8 months are too much. I mean Davids took 3-4 months for nandrolone. Stam too. De Boer took 3 months, if i remember well. 8 months are too much. But hey, they're starting to breaking the balls about doping, man! I told you: they've asked 3 years for Kallon (Inter) and Blasi (Parma). 3 YEARS! For nandrolone. That's too much!

Four months would have been more accurate.

This is a blow towards Man Utd winning the title.

Three months would have been more appropriate.  The FA had to start setting an example over drugs, and unluckily for the player and his club Rio became the example.  You can't just miss drugs tests - they have to be respected.  There is no question Rio is drugs free, but what he did was stupid and irresponsible.  Eight months - far too much.  Especially when, like IMC said other players have tested positive and got half the sentence - and Negouai the crappy Man City flop signing - did the same thing and only got fined £2,000 and nothing else.

Footballing wise, we'll miss him because he is an absolute collossus in defence.  The main reason why our defence transformed itself from a joke in 2001-2002 to currently the best in the Premiership and Europe.  Wesley Brown is not good enough and too injury prone to lead the defence of a team challening for the Champions League and the Premier League.  Fergie has huge faith in him however, so we'll see what happens.