Player boycott was discussed

Paul Scholes has revealed that the England team's threat to boycott the Euro 2004 qualifier against Turkey was not one of the idle variety.

The players have always dismissed the Football Association's claims that they were willing to strike if Rio Ferdinand, excluded for missing a drugs test, was not reinstated. But the Manchester United midfielder said the players did consider boycotting the match.

"The threat not to play was real; we really thought about it," he said. "Whether we would have gone through with the boycott, I don't really know. The thought of being chucked out of Euro 2004 was the main factor in pulling back."