RIO and the Olympics

SCULLY

I'm not a Man Utd fan and think that a ban of some type (3 months?) is probably in order but if the report in the attached link is true, he might end up been banned for longer 'cos of outside pressure from the Olympic Board. I would be rightly p**sed off if the team I supported looses one of it's most expensive players to help an Olympic bid.

Man Utd's alledgred threat to sue is funny though!

http://www.tribalfootball.com/october/englishnews5171003.html

super_furry

I can't see how the hell United can have any complaints about this - he's bang to rights. He was told he had a drug test, 'forgot' to show up and that's that. If Sonia O'Sullivan 'forgot' to take a drug test she'd be out on her arse quicker than you could blink - same with any Nationwide team. The only reason there's even a question of him getting off is because he's a United player, they seem to think they can bully their way out of trouble and if they throw enough money at the problem it will go away.

Thanx 4 The Fish

FIFA did issue a statement that if they felt that the punishment was too lenient, they would step in and enforce a harsher penalty.

eirebhoy

Originally posted by super_furry
He was told he had a drug test, 'forgot' to show up and that's that.

The drug testers were actually at the Man United's ground after a match and they told Rio and one or two others that they had to be tested. Rio said he had to go to the toilet or something and he then never came back. He then got tested 2 days later and told them he forgot about the test as he was moving house.

he definitely should be banned for a few months. He was either expecting to be tested positive or he had something planned. Robbie Keane and someone else were kept in for hours being tested after the Germany match during the world cup and didn't get out until midnight so they aren't the most welcome things in the world but they have to be done.

The Muppet

If Sonia O'Sullivan 'forgot' to take a drug test she'd be out on her arse quicker than you could blink

Wrong. shed be given a warning , if she got 3 she would the face a ban.

The only reason there's even a question of him getting off is because he's a United player, they seem to think they can bully their way out of trouble and if they throw enough money at the problem it will go away.

Whats your explaination for the Man City Player who got a £2000 fine for the exact same offence.

If the FA ban Rio UTD will take them to the cleaners because of this precedent and thers FA they can do about it if you pardon the pun.

p.pete

i'm not sure how I feel about this one. It's bad for manu - which is good in my book. It is bad for the player himself though and I think there have been stronger cases in the past where the book could have been thrown at someone.

I actually feel sorry for Rio because I think his excuse is probably genuine but I have a feeling that he is going to be in hot water (well he is already but for longer...).

manic_monster

As super furry said - a precedent has been set and united lawyers will have a field day if the punishement is any worse.

The Muppet

As super furry said - a precedent has been set and united lawyers will have a field day if the punishement is any worse.

Actually I said that. I dont see how the FA can do anything other than give a similar punishment as they did last time. If FIFA get more involved as they have indicated they might that could change the situation.

Thanx 4 The Fish

They could just give him a slap on the wrist, safe in the knowledge that FIFA will step in and slap a ban on him.

That way the FA do not have a court case on their hands and Man U have no grounds to sue.

BTW who was the Man City player who was fined for missing a drugs test ?? Does anybody know, or was his club smart enough not to release his name ?

jank

Originally posted by The Muppet



If the FA ban Rio UTD will take them to the cleaners because of this precedent and thers FA they can do about it if you pardon the pun.

Not if FIFA have their say
and when it comes to football they have the last say in everything utd would be mad to go against them lawyers or no lawyers

if the FA are too leanient then FIFA will step in and impose a bigger ban

he's looking at about 3 months at least

been talking to loads of utd fans and checked up the net to see what thier views are on redissue most (i stress most cause there are some reds out their that will support utd players even if they all got caught red handed doing heroin & crack.....nuff siad) say that he is an idiot for forgetting and should be banned

which is good from an arsenal point of view as utd have very average players in defence

like what an idiot he is!!! he was told about the test said he had to go to the toilet and then walks off "forgetting" it. Something not right here even if he did pass it 2 days later

why didnt man utd contact him while he was out shopping for designer wear???

BKtje

The drug testers were actually at the Man United's ground after a match and they told Rio and one or two others that they had to be tested. Rio said he had to go to the toilet or something and he then never came back. He then got tested 2 days later and told them he forgot about the test as he was moving house.

If that is true then he deserves a ban tbh.

Now in this cae it seems that because he is a Man U player FIFA want to make an example of him. So infact if it was left up to the FA it would probably just be a fine (that is until FIFA stepped in).
Imo FIFA only stepped in because it was all over the media and this is because it is a Man u player. (same would happen to any player froma top club in mo)

Not sure what kind of defence Man U lawyers could put up against FIFA but if they find something worthy enough im sure they could win. FIFA are powerful but they aint the be all and end all.

If the FA listen to the Olympic boards bid people then there is something very wrong.

SteM

Originally posted by jank
Not if FIFA have their say
and when it comes to football they have the last say in everything utd would be mad to go against them lawyers or no lawyers

if the FA are too leanient then FIFA will step in and impose a bigger ban

he's looking at about 3 months at least

been talking to loads of utd fans and checked up the net to see what thier views are on redissue most (i stress most cause there are some reds out their that will support utd players even if they all got caught red handed doing heroin & crack.....nuff siad) say that he is an idiot for forgetting and should be banned

which is good from an arsenal point of view as utd have very average players in defence

like what an idiot he is!!! he was told about the test said he had to go to the toilet and then walks off "forgetting" it. Something not right here even if he did pass it 2 days later

why didnt man utd contact him while he was out shopping for designer wear???

a) Did you make '3 months' up or read it in the Sun?

b) Yes, he is an idiot for forgetting. I'd love to meet these so called 'supporters' you've been talking to that say he should be banned. United fans didn't turn their back on Eric and I don't think they'll turn their back on Rio. :rolleyes:

c) Good from an Arsenal point of view? They've got plenty of their own hassles to be worried about at the moment. I think United have cover for him as long as they stay injury free tbh.

d) I love the way everyone keeps putting 'forgetting' in inverted commas. No one else knows what was going through his mind at the time except him. It was a stupid thing to do and a big thing to forget but I've certainly forgotten some very important things in the past. I would hope that my friends/family gave me the benefit of the doubt.

e) Have you been reading anything about this? He says he turned his phone off while he was out shopping, that's why United couldn't contact him. He also says he was out shopping for house furnishings not 'designer wear'.

GuanYin

Wenger has called the FA to have more drug tests to clean up the English game.

What amazing timing the man has!

article

jank

Originally posted by SteM
a) Did you make '3 months' up or read it in the Sun?

b) Yes, he is an idiot for forgetting. I'd love to meet these so called 'supporters' you've been talking to that say he should be banned. United fans didn't turn their back on Eric and I don't think they'll turn their back on Rio. :rolleyes:

c) Good from an Arsenal point of view? They've got plenty of their own hassles to be worried about at the moment. I think United have cover for him as long as they stay injury free tbh.

d) I love the way everyone keeps putting 'forgetting' in inverted commas. No one else knows what was going through his mind at the time except him. It was a stupid thing to do and a big thing to forget but I've certainly forgotten some very important things in the past. I would hope that my friends/family gave me the benefit of the doubt.

e) Have you been reading anything about this? He says he turned his phone off while he was out shopping, that's why United couldn't contact him. He also says he was out shopping for house furnishings not 'designer wear'.

The sun I dont read that rag mag!! come on i said 3 months AT LEAST!! not the suns opinion or mine but soon to be FIFA's verdict if thay have thier way

comparing rio with cantona is a joke
very few utd fans have respect for him probably cause he cost so much even u should know that
pound for pound his is regarded as one of utd's worst ever buy

every club has their problems and talking about arsenal's well documented and over hyped problems is getting boring at this stage

turned off his phone!!
the paperazzi can find why not the biggest club in the world eh??

BKtje

because people ring the paperazzi. Dont think many people would ring Man u to tell them that their player is doing a bit of shopping....

jank

Originally posted by SteM
a)



e) Have you been reading anything about this? He says he turned his phone off while he was out shopping, that's why United couldn't contact him. He also says he was out shopping for house furnishings not 'designer wear'.

hmm his phone was turned off so he lied to the FA now and rang his doctor almost straight away after leaving training!!

but he forgot sure didnt he

something not right here at all

3 months at least

SteM

Originally posted by jank
The sun I dont read that rag mag!! come on i said 3 months AT LEAST!! not the suns opinion or mine but soon to be FIFA's verdict if thay have thier way

Like I asked - where did you get the length of suspension from? If you didn't read it in the Sun then you probably made it up.

Originally posted by jank
comparing rio with cantona is a joke
very few utd fans have respect for him probably cause he cost so much even u should know that
pound for pound his is regarded as one of utd's worst ever buy

Perhaps it is but if the FA (or FIFA) give him a long ban he'll come back a hero - United fans don't forget their own (Cantona, Keane, Beckham).
Personally I think £30 million was mad money for him but I won't hate the lad because of it. I'd always give a defender at least a few seasons to be down - Gary Pallister formed one of the best defensive partnerships ever at United and he was muck for the first few seasons.

Originally posted by jank
every club has their problems and talking about arsenal's well documented and over hyped problems is getting boring at this stage

But you have no problem gloating over Uniteds problems? jank = Arsenal fan it would seem.

Originally posted by jank
turned off his phone!!
the paperazzi can find why not the biggest club in the world eh??

The paparazzi didn't find him, they followed him from training (like they seem to for a lot of players). I doubt United have someone tailing Rio like the paparazzi do.

Thanx 4 The Fish

He didn't have his phone off though. Wonder why he lied about that ?

A paper has a list of his phonecalls and text messages made and received when he said that he had his phone off.

So now as well as cheating in skipping the drugs test, he has been founf out to have been lying about having his phone switched off.

Wonder why somebody would do that....

jank

http://www.football365.com/All_News/Premiership_News/story_86641.shtml


only time will tell what happens here, i cant tell the future but i think he's digging a hole for himself and doesnt realise it

imo he probably did some soft drugs and then panicked when he found out about the drugs test and rang his private doc to try and cover it up( some of these drugs leave the system in 24 hours) but thats my opinion


im not saying thats what happened but its kind of weird that he refuses to give out his mobile details if he wants to prove his that he's not guilty and then his mobile was on all the time maybe he 'forgot' about that too

BKtje

He is a silly silly man it seems.

So now as well as cheating in skipping the drugs test, he has been founf out to have been lying about having his phone switched off.

What i dont get is if people try to ring you its fairly clear wether your phone is switched off or not. Im assuming its the same in the UK. if thisb is the case then surely Man u woulda known it wasnt off. If they infact knew it wasnt off then surely they woulda advised him not to use that excuse. As it seems they didnt and that was silly.

The Muppet

I have though from the start that there is something fishy about Rios story but until all the facts are known its all speculative and circumstantial.

If FIFA or the FA are gonna throw the book at him they are going to need solid evidence that will stand up in court. all we are being told they have at the mo is circumstantial and will not hold up if challenged.

GuanYin

Originally posted by The Muppet
I have though from the start that there is something fishy about Rios story but until all the facts are known its all speculative and circumstantial.

If FIFA or the FA are gonna throw the book at him they are going to need solid evidence that will stand up in court. all we are being told they have at the mo is circumstantial and will not hold up if challenged.

Don't think they need evidence.

They can charge him with missing a drugs test or wilfully missing a drugs test, which gets him a ban unless he can defend the claims.

Its not a legal court. Basically he failed to comply with the rules so he is pretty much at their mercy.

Its a pity, because it potentially means a big player will be banned from the game, but I agree that drugs should be eradicated from sport. If you want to make an omlette....

The Muppet

Don't think they need evidence.They can charge him with missing a drugs test or wilfully missing a drugs test, which gets him a ban unless he can defend the claims.

Its not a legal court. Basically he failed to comply with the rules so he is pretty much at their mercy.

I agree fully with the stament about drugs , but if the FA are goona treat him differently that they did the Man City player it is
likely to end up in court where they will need evidence to back up their reason for treating the 2 cases differently . The PFA have
said they will take the case against the FA if they consider the punishment to be too severe.

Its a pity, because it potentially means a big player will be banned from the game, but I agree that drugs should be eradicated from sport. If you want to make an omlette....

No player is bigger than the game and IF he is guilty of taking drugs then he should be banned. The circumstantial evidence indicates he may be hiding something but that will not be enough in court and the FA could find themselves in serious difficulties if they dont do things by the book.

jank

yea but he missed the drugs test and it looks like he did it on purpose now

he said his phone was turned off but it wasnt why did he lie??

why did he contact his private doc 10 min after leaving the ground

he wont get charged for using illegal substances but will for willingly missing a drugs test which carries a ban of up to 2 years

the FA arent stupid and the man city player has nothing to do with it plus FIFA could step in at any time

The Muppet

yea but he missed the drugs test and it looks like he did it on purpose now

"looks like " is hardly gonna convince a Judge.

he said his phone was turned off but it wasnt why did he lie??

Maybe it was on silent ,whatever it is hardly a hanging offence.

why did he contact his private doc 10 min after leaving the ground

There could be any number of legitimate reasons.

he wont get charged for using illegal substances but will for willingly missing a drugs test which carries a ban of up to 2 yearsthe FA arent stupid and the man city player has nothing to do with it plus FIFA could step in at any time.

We'll see. I still can not see hime getting much more than the city player unless something new crops up. The same law that applies to the FA applies to FIFA if they unfairly restrict his right to earn his living.
Precedent is very important when it comes to the law and that is where the city player comes into it. Why do you think Utd can still play him if the FA have the goods on him. If they had anything on him he would already be charged.

jank

Originally posted by The Muppet
"looks like " is hardly gonna convince a Judge.



Maybe it was on silent ,whatever it is hardly a hanging offence.




There could be any number of legitimate reasons.

there will be no judge here!! there will be a panel made up by members of the FA or some other body

get ur green head out of ur ass and look at the real picture here

he missed a drugs test possibly on purpose so he sill get banned

oh by the way muppet why did he lie about his phone being off when it was actually on??!?!

i can imagine what ur going to come up with here

The Muppet

Either you,re unwilling or too stupid to understand what I am sayi ng to you.

there will be no judge here!! there will be a panel made up by members of the FA or some other body

Thats correct but if a lenghty ban is issued at that meeting the PFA have said they may persue the matter in a court of law.

he missed a drugs test possibly on purpose so he sill get banned

and possibly not

oh by the way muppet why did he lie about his phone being off when it was actually on??!?!

there no need for me to come up with anything so.:D


The FA will make a statement on thursday regarding this matter
so we may wait until then. He deserves punishment for missing the test but on the evidence published to date that is all he can be found guilty of and the last player to do that got a £2000 fine.

Thanx 4 The Fish

UNited said that they were trying to contact him for 15 minutes but his phone was off. He said 1) He had a kidney infection 2) He had his phone off (a lie) 3) He had forgotten (He rang his personal doctor from the grounds before he skipped the drugs test)

Rio will not be stopped from earning his wages, Utd will still pay him so the making money excuse isn't there either Muppet. Looks like he hasn't got a leg to stand on.

The Muppet

As I said earlierI believe there is something not right in his story, but on the evidence published toi date all he can be found guilty of is missing the test there may be unpublished evidence that will change that.
There is a big difference between suspecting someone has committed an offence and actually proving it which the FA are gonna have to do if they want to impose a lenghty ban.

The Players Union (PFA) have said they may persue the matter in court if they deem the punishment as being too severe.

We'll know the more on Thursday so we may wait until then.

jank

Originally posted by The Muppet
Either you,re unwilling or too stupid to understand what I am sayi ng to you.

sounds just like yourself!!!



there no need for me to come up with anything so.:D

. [/QUOTE]

typical of u muppet everything is black and white with you and u avoid the question again and then rample on about something else!!!

BaZmO*

I have to say, even though I'm a Utd. fan, I think that Rio was actually a bit of a bad boy on a night out and indulged in some "Class A" antics. I don't think that he's taken any performance enhancing drugs per se!! Well unless you class cocaine or speed as performance enhancers!!

If you look at the evidence it all makes sense. He's told when he arrives at training that he and several others have to give a sample after training. Rio realising that he's been a bad boy panics and doesn't know what to do because he knows that his test will be positive.
So what does he do?? He goes to Sir Alex of course and tells him that he's been a bad boy. Obviously Alex is not impressed but decides to make the best of a bad situation. He consults the doctors at Utd. and they tell him how long the drug stays in the system. You can find this information out for yourself here So armed with that information he concludes that it is best that Rio skips the test and tells him to go shopping or something that will make him unvailable and uncontactable. Alex obviously realised that it would be easier to defend his player for missing a test than to defend a player that had actually tested posisitve, recreational drugs or no recreational drugs.
I know its only speculation but I really do feel that that's what happened especially when you consider the fact that he waited another 36 hours before doing the test, surely they could of gone to some independent agency to provide a sample as soon as they found out that he "forgot" to attend the test.

I think that he does deserve to be banned.

B.

Dustaz

Originally posted by BaZmO*
, I think that Rio was actually a bit of a bad boy on a night out and indulged in some "Class A" antics. I don't think that he's taken any performance enhancing drugs per se!! Well unless you class cocaine or speed as performance enhancers!!

Its looking like that at this stage. Having said that its hardly suprising. Drug use is pretty rife in football and the FA dont seem to be able to do anything about it. Ive said before that the drug testing regime in england seems to be woefully inadequate to deal with the problem.

Paul merson had a fairly sizable cocaine habit and the fa didnt uncoverit , the papers did. Scuttlebutt has always been alive with storys of Ian Wrights nights out, ditto Lee Sharpe (meningitis anyone?:) ). Hell, ive been in a dublin nightclub and seen a premiership player indulge in some columbian refreshment myself.


Basically, its nothing new and whether rio did or didnt do it doesnt change the fact that the fa really need to get their drug testing house in order.

Ping Chow Chi

Yes I understand someone in the past had 'got away' with this, but since then there has been a new chief of the FA, who had said he was going to be tough on this sort of offence?

If Rio gets away with a fine then any footballer whoes suspects that they might have something in thier system would just 'forget' to take the test and stump up the couple of days wage to cover it.

ManU may be able to push the FA about - but I doubt the same trick will work with FIFA. I suspect that if there wasn't the big fuss over the England match and the players threatening to go on strike that FIFA wouldn't have threaten to step in.