Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson says defender Rio Ferdinand could fight the eight-month suspension imposed on him by the Football Association (FA) in a civil court.

The England international was handed the ban on Friday for missing a drugs test at United's training ground on September 23. He is set to miss the rest of the domestic season and next year's European Championship, though United plan an FA appeal.

"It won't be the end of it," Ferguson told British newspapers on Sunday. "He will go to court if he has to.

"He has the right to go to court to protect his reputation. He has every right and the club would back him on that."

Ferguson said Ferdinand, 25, was certain to be charged from the moment the FA ruled him out of England's final Euro 2004 qualifier in Turkey on October 11 following his missed test.

"Right from the beginning he was bound to get charged because he was dropped from the English team for a start," the United manager said.

"That condemned him and he had to carry that burden right from that very minute they banned him from playing for England."

In addition to his eight-month ban, Ferdinand was also fined 50,000 pounds ($88,420) by the FA on Friday.