20 March 2004	Saturday	28 Muharram 1425

MANCHESTER, March 19: Manchester United expressed shock on Friday at the failure of Rio Ferdinand's appeal against an eight-month ban and the defender admitted he was "devastated".

An independent appeal commission on Thursday upheld Ferdinand's suspension for missing a drugs test, shattering his hopes of playing for United again this season and representing England at the European Championship in Portugal.

"I'm disappointed, everyone is. There's a sort of sense of shock about it," Ferguson told a news conference. "We are not saying anything at the moment, simply because we want to absorb all that was said yesterday, the findings, and digest it and take counsel opinion and things like that."

Ferdinand, who missed the drugs test at United's Carrington training ground in September, had hoped to get a reduction in his suspension and told The Sun newspaper on Friday he was "absolutely devastated" by the verdict.

"The main thing keeping me going throughout this has been the possibility of playing again this season. This verdict has taken that hope away from me." The confirmation of Ferdinand's ban means England's defence has been breached even before they kick a ball at Euro 2004.

Ferdinand's partnership with Sol Campbell was the cornerstone of England's run to the 2002 World Cup quarter-finals. Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson had made no secret of his wish to see Ferdinand's ban reduced so he could take him to Portugal.

"If he could have a lesser punishment, I should be happy," a hopeful Eriksson told Sky Sports News in the run-up to Thursday's decision. The Swede faces a tough task to find a replacement for the world's most expensive defender, with Chelsea's John Terry the most likely candidate.

Terry may lack flair going forward with the ball but was solid when it counted most, when he replaced Ferdinand for the nervy 0-0 draw with Turkey in Istanbul that booked England's place in the finals.

Terry has improved this season and he can only have benefited from their run to second place in the Premier League and a Champions League quarter-final slot. -Reuters