Rio Suspended for FOUR Matches

[Noucamp99]

It was dealt with by the ref at the time. If it went unnoticed by him, then it would have been dealt with by the commission. They would have hit him a few more times with the ugly stick, lol!

[Bennthered]

i wish i was holding that stick to hit the little git with! id love t see him fall off a cliff! in his shittey shirt!

[Noucamp99]

Were you the one who put his face out when it was on fire then? Health and Safety experts don't recommend the use of shovels, though, lol!

[Bennthered]

they cant afford shovels where he came from it was just a piece of the roof they tore off!!!

heard a rumour today from a mate vidic could go to real in a swap deal for ramos + money!
can see it myself think someone is living in fantasy land!

[Phil-M.U.F.C.]

Ferdinand denies FA charge
United defender free to face City in Carling Cup clash

Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand has denied the violent conduct charge brought against him by the Football Association.

The centre-back was charged after television replays showed him appearing to catch Hull City's Craig Fagan with his arm during Saturday's 4-0 success at Old Trafford.

If Ferdinand had accepted the charge, he would have missed Wednesday night's Carling Cup semi-final second leg against Manchester City with the Red Devils looking to overturn a 2-1 deficit and the following two matches.

The denial means Ferdinand will now be free to face their bitter rivals with a place at Wembley up for grabs.

If his move fails, then the three-game suspension will begin with Sunday's vital Premier League clash against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium and will also take in the matches against Portsmouth and Aston Villa.
And if the FA deem his attempt to have the ban overturned to be 'frivolous' then they have the option of imposing an additional punishment, which would see the England international miss the game against Everton on 20th February.

Ferdinand has only just returned to action following a long-term back injury but could now be facing another stint out of action, with his fate to be decided on Thursday.

A statement on the FA's official website read: "A regulatory commission will hear the charge on Thursday 28 January."

[Noucamp99]

Bookmakers believe Rio Ferdinand's decision to appeal against a Football Association charge of violent conduct will backfire and go 4/7 he ends up receiving a four-match ban.
The 31-year-old got his plea in early in order to be able to play in Manchester United's Carling Cup semi-final second leg against neighbours City.
However, the move is a calculated risk because if the FA disciplinary panel decide the appeal is "frivolous", they have the power to impose a greater sanction than the normal three-match suspension for such incidents.
Ferdinand caught striker Craig Fagan in the face with his arm during the second-half of United's 4-0 victory over Hull City on Saturday.
As the ball was not even in the penalty area at the time and referee Steve Bennett did not see the incident, Ferdinand's only defence could be that he acted instinctively in response to foul play from Fagan.
Ferdinand is 6/1 to end up missing two games or less, the same price to sit out exactly three matches and 5/2 for five or more.

Source: ITV.com

Might be a good gamble, though. United at Wembley and Evans, Vidic and Brown fit again. Can we afford to lose Rio for 4 games? Maybe. SAF said last night, though, that he felt that had just cause to appeal!

[Vazza]

its will be healthy to have him vs Arse's!!!

[Noucamp99]

Not much chance. The hearing is today and they are very likely to find him guilty and the ban would start immediately. Still, Vida was on the bench yesterday.

However,

Manchester Unietd chief Sir Alex Ferguson is confident that captain Rio Ferdinand will avoid a ban.

Ferdinand helped United into the Carling Cup final on Wednesday evening, but he was only able to play against Manchester City after denying a Football Association charge of violent conduct.

Ferdinand was charged following a clash with Hull City's Craig Fagan at the weekend and is facing a three-match suspension.

The FA will now hear Ferdinand's case on Thursday and could even add an extra match to that following his denial if they deem his claims to be 'frivolous'.

But Ferguson is adamanat that Ferdinand will avoid getting any ban.

"If he gets a fair hearing Rio has a good chance," said Ferguson.

"He was getting wrestled and punched. There were all sorts of things happening.

"He was just trying to get himself free of it and unfortunately caught the lad on the back of the neck."

Source: skysports.com

[Bennthered]

I HOPE SO FERGIE I HOPE SO THE DEFENCE LOOKED A MILLION TIMES BETTER IN THE LAST 2 GAMES HES PLAYED!

[Noucamp99]

For sure, but with Vida back form injury, we could afford him to get some rest. He has played 2 games on the trot now, after missing 19!!