From Rio to Meca: Another Step on the Winding Road of Competition Law and Sport

Extract

On 19 December 2003, a Football Association (“FA”) disciplinary hearing found Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester United and England defender, guilty of failing to submit to drug testing, and imposed a fine of £50,000 and an eight-month playing ban. Alex Ferguson publicly attributed United's failure to win the 2003/04 Premiership title in part to the loss of his key defender. However, United's loss was not merely sporting: reports suggest that the cost of the club's decision to continue paying Ferdinand's wages in full during his eight months of inactivity was more than £2.4 million. Chelsea was far less supportive in October 2004 when its Romanian striker Adrian Mutu tested positive for cocaine: in addition to receiving a £20,000 fine and a seven-month playing ban from the FA, Mutu had his contract terminated by the club on the ground of gross misconduct.