The English Football Association yesterday announced they have begun a formal review of the Rio Ferdinand affair and made clear their intention to seek a retraction of some of the damaging criticism aimed at the organisation.

Ferdinand will have a personal interview with Steve Barrow, the head of the FA's compliance unit, at a secret location today as a result of the Manchester United defender missing a drugs test on September 23th.

He is sure to be charged following the interview but the exact charge will determine the severity of his punishment, if found guilty.

There are two possible charges which come under the misconduct category - failure to attend an anti-doping test and wilful failure to attend an anti-doping test.

The second charge, a far more serious offence, would carry a definite ban and to be proved it would require evidence of a deliberate attempt to avoid the drug testers.

At the same time, other officials in the FA will turn their attention to claims made about the Ferdinand affair last week. However, as peace talks have already taken place with Manchester United it is likely that Gordon Taylor, chief executive of the Professional Footballers Association, will be the man targeted.

Taylor accused the FA of effectively allowing Ferdinand's name to be released into the public domain, of "pre-judging" the case and of flouting their own procedures.

The FA will only involve lawyers as a last resort but are clearly furious at some of the remarks made about English football's governing body.