A BIT HARSH

Last updated : 21 March 2004 By Editor

Denis:

There are players in Italy who got done for taking drugs and got four or five months, Mark Bosnich was done for taking drugs and got nine months. You can only go on cases which have gone before and the closest to Rio's case was Christian Negouai at City and he got a £2,000 fine and slap on the wrist.

"How can you jump from that to an eight months suspension? I just think they have swept the Negouai case under the carpet and concentrated on Rio.

"They have punished the club and also the player because he is not playing.

"Is it because he was playing for Manchester United, is it because he is such a big player? I don't know. You can read what you want into it but it is very harsh.

"UK Sport (the official testers) have tightened up because when they come into Wolverhampton Wanderers they actually stay with the player, so why didn't that happen on that day?

"They have tightened up but it is after the horse has bolted. They are obviously a lot wiser now, but it is too late."