Ferdinand camp blast Hodgson over fresh Euro 2012 snub as Kop kid Kelly replaces Cahill

Roy Hodgson delivered the ultimate snub to a furious Rio Ferdinand on Sunday when he selected a defender who has played just two minutes of international football ahead of him for Euro 2012.


The England manager responded to the news that Gary Cahill had suffered a double fracture of the jaw in a collision with Joe Hart at Wembley on Saturday by calling Liverpool’s Martin Kelly into the squad.

That decision has left the Ferdinand camp fuming, with the player’s representative and friend Jamie Moralee branding it ‘disgraceful’.

Manchester United defender Ferdinand also expressed his anger and disbelief via Twitter. ‘What reasons?????!!!’ he wrote pointedly.

Kelly made his debut in Oslo nine days ago as a substitute two minutes from time in the 1-0 victory against Norway. He had only been called in by Hodgson for experience to give the Chelsea contingent an extended break after their Champions League heroics.


The FA insisted last night that Kelly was selected ahead of Ferdinand, subject to clearance from UEFA, for football reasons.

‘Kelly trained with the England players last week,’ said an FA statement.

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MEANWHILE ........ THERE IS SOME GOOD NEWS FOR RIO FERDINAND


He has been selected to moan and groan for England at the WWC [World Whining Competition] this summer in Beijing. Fellow footballer Sergio Busquets will miss out this year as he's off to the Euros with the Spanish squad. Busquets won the Bronze at last years event in Toronto.

English team Captain, Grant Whitinger said this, ' We were on the look out in the Spring for a third whiner to bring with us to the games, and just when it seemed that all was lost ....... my wife heard Rio complaining on Sky Sports News, she was very impressed with his winging abilities and phoned me immediately at the office. I rushed home and as luck would have it, he was still droning on and on about something or other. It was relentless' said Grant, ' both my wife and I watched for a full two hours until my left ear started to bleed. My good wife carried on listening to the grumbling and bellyaching until she herself had to retire with a bellyache of her own.'

' I don't like to count my eggs as they say', said Grant, 'but griping of this quality comes along maybe once in a lifetime, it was England's good fortune that it happened to come along this summer.'

Chris Johnson, the 26 yr old running back with The Tennessee Titans will represent the US.