Despite peace breaking out in the England camp, the players still have much to do deflect the condemnation which has been aimed at them as a result of their actions and arrogance.

They may have seen themselves as white-shirted knights riding to the rescue of a betrayed friend, Rio Ferdinand. In reality, they behaved like knaves - and insufferable, smug and selfish ones at that.

These players have come to regard England selection as a right rather than a privilege. It is as if they think they are doing the country a favour by pulling on the England shirt instead of feeling honoured and awe-struck that they have been invited to do so.

The simple fact of the matter is that Ferdinand has no excuse for missing his drugs test. Forgetting about the test because he was preoccupied with a shopping trip to Harvey Nicks is simply not good enough.

This is drug-testing we are talking about, serious attempts to catch cheats in sport. It is not some kind of optional scheme that multi-millionaire footballers only partake in if they can be bothered.

But all that is nothing compared with the outrageous behaviour the England players have been guilty of over the last two days.

Millions of fans who support England and who directly or indirectly fund the footballers' lavish lifestyles must be absolutely fuming at the threats of a boycott of the match in Turkey this Saturday which were bandied about.

The threat of disqualification from the tournament were they not to fulfil the fixture - plus some timely words from Ferdinand himself to his international team-mates - will no doubt have concentrated the players' minds to see the error of their ways.

The FA were right to maintain their stand and prevent Ferdinand from being included in Sven-Goran Eriksson's squad. But they should go further. Much further.

This was not about England players standing up for a point of principle, it was about them looking out for their own backs.

''It's happened to Rio, it could happen to any of us,'' the leading barrack-room lawyer will have told the many meetings of players that took place.

It could happen to any of them - and for good reason. The brutal fact is that some sports stars take drugs.

If you take all the huge rewards that are available in the game then you abide by the rules. Break those rules, and you pay the penalty, and Ferdinand has broken those rules.

The England players could hardly have chosen a worse time to stage their rebellion either, with Premiership players now implicated in two alleged rape cases.

The whiff of scandal threatened to turn into an overwhelming stench of decay. Fortunately talk of strike action proved to be just that - talk - and common sense prevailed.