Thursday's sporting photos

The Sun devotes three of its front pages and six more at the back to the story, saying that "the players caused nationwide fury" by threatening to boycott the match.

It suggests that all 24 of the players backed the action, led by Ferdinand's team-mates Gary and Phil Neville, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes, with back-up from David James, Michael Owen, David Beckham and Sol Campbell.

The paper strongly condemns the players' actions, with chief sports writer Steven Howard saying: "How could anyone misjudge the mood of a country so badly?

"The only reason they are rallying around a footballer who "forgot" a dope test is because he is one of them.

"In times of trouble, you stick together - even when you are wrong."

FRONT PAGE HEADLINES The Times: After all that, it's 1-0 to the England management The Guardian England rebels cave in after Ferdinand plea Daily Telegraph: England strike off after Rio appeals to team The Independent: The latest England formation... One out, all out The Sun: Heroes to zeroes Daily Mirror: Who the HELL do you think you are? Daily Express:No reference Daily Mail: So much for pride in your country Daily Star: Fans fury

The Daily Star also says that the players deserve little sympathy for their stance.

"The bust-up has left the England team utterly demoralised - and the delighted Turks reckon they will never have a better chance of beating England," it says in its leader.

Another six pages are devoted to the story, with chief football writer Brian Woolnough saying: "Someone should have stood up to these prima donnas long ago and told them: 'If you don't want to play, we'll get some players who do.'"

However he adds: The FA have proved themselves to lack leadership and the finger also has to be pointed at Sven-Goran Eriksson and PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor.

"Eriksson is a lost figure. Instead of demanding answers from his players he has slipped quietly into the background."

The Daily Mirror pictures all 24 members of the squad on its front page with the caption "Turkey" above their heads.

The paper describes the squad's threat to strike as "a total disgrace - and an insult to every fan in the country".

The Mirror picks David Beckham, Gary Neville, Sol Campbell, Michael Owen, David James and Phil Neville as the ringleaders of the action.

And while the FA have got their way in this case, the Mirror says: "The genie of player power has been let out of the box.

"It will be impossible to put it back in."

The Daily Express is the only one of the main UK papers not to feature the story on its front page.

BACK PAGE HEADLINES The Times: Owen is ruled out as England players withdraw strike threat The Guardian Players step back from brink Daily Telegraph: Ferdinand call defuses mutiny The Independent: Ferdinand tells team to avoid strike action The Sun: It's off - Players ditch strike threat Daily Mirror: War & peace Daily Express: Peacemaker - Beckham plays lead Daily Mail: Shameful Daily Star: Kicked out - Rebels could get England banned

And it leads with the story that David Beckham was acting as a "peacemaker" between the FA and the senior players who wanted to boycott the game.

"Beckham has been given the credit of acting far beyond the remit of skipper as a 'conduit' between the bosses and players."

However the Daily Telegraph says the credit for defusing the situation should go to, of all people, Ferdinand himself.

Football writer Henry Winter says that the players "were never really going to strike", but that Ferdinand contacted Beckham and Gary Neville and begged them to go to Turkey.

While former England manager Graham Taylor says in his column: "The English team belong to the whole nation and if you decide not to represent that team, then you offend the whole nation."

The Guardian says there are six questions that are still unanswered.

These include: Why was Rio Ferdinand allowed to leave the training ground without giving a sample?

What was Ferdinand actually doing on that afternoon?

And why did it take the FA 10 days to process the failure to comply?

The Times calls the situation "one of the most extraordinary row in the history of the national team".

And while the relationship between the FA and the players has been scarred, the paper suggests that "it is the animosity between Old Trafford and Soho Square that will take longest to soothe".

The Daily Mail also picks up on the Manchester United story, saying that the club "stood alone as every other Premiership club offered the FA their support in the row".

The Mail adds that "United even denied Ferdinand the opportunity to urge England's players to represent their country on their own television station".

And it provocatively asks the question 'Is this the weakest man in England?' next to a picture of Sven-Goran Eriksson.

The Independent fingers Gary Neville as the players' leader, and says that "this dispute may be the most damaging scandal since the match-fixing one of the 1960s".

Ken Jones adds that it is the players' "six-figure salaries" [per week] has led to the recent problems to hit the game.