Rio Ferdinand features on the front and back of most of the UK's papers as football makes the headlines for the wrong reasons once again. Ferdinand faces a potential two year ban from football after apparently forgetting to take a routine drugs test after training two weeks ago.
The question that needs answering now is whether Ferdinand will be allowed to represent England in the crucial match against Turkey on Saturday.
"FA chief executive Mark Palios insisted Ferdinand must be left out of England's squad," according to the Sun.
"They [the FA] believe if they were to make an exception in Ferdinand's case it would open the door to wide-spread abuse."
 | THE HEADLINES The Times: Ferdinand adds to England's burden The Guardian Houllier takes Eriksson to task Daily Telegraph: Houllier adds Eriksson's worries Daily Express: Rio in drug test shock Daily Mail: Rio faces England axe over drugs row Daily Star: Sven on the rack Daily Mirror: Rio faces Turkey drug ban The Independent: Mystery as England put squad on hold The Sun: Utd and FA in Rio drug row |
The Manchester United player is understood to have passed the test 36 hours later, but that does not satisfy Oliver Holt writing in the Daily Mirror.
"The point is that Ferdinand seems to have felt he was too big to take the test," says Holt.
"It appears there is something rotten at the heart of our national game," he adds.
The Times sums up the situation for England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson by saying that he "does not need anyone to hold up a 'Welcome to hell' banner when he arrives in Istanbul on Thursday".
The other main story picked up the papers is Gerard Houllier's attack on Eriksson.
Houllier is quoted in many papers suggesting that Eriksson was behind an attempt to lure Steven Gerrard to Chelsea after the England coach met with Roman Abramovich.
"It was not good timing that he [Eriksson] went to see Abramovich and then, two days later, that there were stories saying that Chelsea wanted Stevie," Houllier is quoted as saying.
"I spoke to him and told him that the timing was bad and he accepted my point."
Away from football, the Guardian reports that Duncan Fletcher is set to sign a contract extension that will make him England's longest serving cricket coach.
According to the paper, Fletcher has "agreed new terms in principle and will sign the deal either before departing or in the early days of the tour".
MMIX
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