LONDON, Jan 19: England defender Rio Ferdinand has officially appealed against his eight-month suspension for missing a drugs test, it was announced by English football's governing body The Football Association (FA) on Monday.

The 25-year-old Manchester United centre-back starts his ban on Tuesday but has still decided to appeal the decision by a tribunal in December that he merited an eight-month ban - a decision deemed "savage" and "unprecedented" by club lawyer Maurice Watkins.

"I want to get back playing.If starting the suspension now will help, then I'm prepared to suffer it," Ferdinand said. The FA will now set up another three-man panel, chaired by a legally qualified non-FA representative to determine Ferdinand's fate but any hearing might not take place till the end of February or even the beginning of March.

If the ban is upheld, Ferdinand will be barred from playing until Sept 20. But with England due to begin their Euro 2004 campaign against France in Lisbon on June 13, Ferdinand knows he would be clear to play if his suspension is halved.-AFP