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England drop Ferdinand
October 07, 2003 19:54 IST
Defender Rio Ferdinand has been omitted from England's squad for the decisive Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey after failing to attend a drugs test at his club Manchester United last month.
Ferdinand, who 36 hours later passed a routine official Football Association test, misses Saturday's game.
The loss of Ferdinand, a first choice central defender, is a blow for the Group Seven leaders, who need a draw to qualify automatically for next year's championship in Portugal and send runners-up Turkey into next month's playoffs.