In Britain, doping control across elite sport was overseen by UK Sport.
The organisation operated independently of individual sporting bodies, meaning even the FA could not dictate how its testing procedures were conducted.
Football clubs were subject to several scheduled doping tests each year.
In addition, UK Sport could carry out unannounced random tests at any time.
New Manchester United had always cooperated fully with the testing programme.
No player at the club had ever failed a doping test.
Nobody expected their first major problem to come from something as simple as a missed test.
It happened the day after the players returned from international duty.
The squad was preparing intensively for the next Premier League match.
At eleven that morning, three doping-control officers arrived at Newton Heath.
They entered the training complex and randomly selected four first-team players who would be required to provide urine samples in the designated testing room before 12:30 PM.
Cristiano Ronaldo.
Kaká.
Essien.
Terry.
It should have been routine.
But when training ended and club staff went to collect the four selected players, they discovered that John Terry was no longer at Newton Heath.
When Mourinho was informed, he was immediately taken aback.
He had not known an unannounced drug test was taking place.
Nor had he known Terry had been selected.
Earlier that morning, Terry had complained of feeling unwell and appeared to be developing a fever.
Mourinho had therefore sent him home to rest.
He immediately tried calling Terry.
No answer.
Again.
Still nothing.
Mourinho sent club staff to Terry's home while he went directly to the training building to speak with the doping-control officers.
Under the testing regulations, if a selected athlete failed to appear by the designated deadline, officials could remain for up to another two hours.
If the athlete still failed to report, the absence could be treated as a refusal or deliberate failure to submit to testing.
Such an offence could carry a worldwide suspension of up to two years.
Mourinho tried repeatedly to explain what had happened.
When Terry left Newton Heath, neither the manager nor the player knew that Terry had been selected.
If Mourinho had known, he would never have allowed him to leave.
The testing officers, however, were unwilling to deviate from procedure.
Once the permitted waiting period expired, they left Newton Heath.
Twenty minutes later, Terry finally arrived.
Club staff had found him after he returned from receiving treatment at a nearby hospital and immediately brought him back to the training ground.
It was too late.
When New Manchester United contacted the testing officials again, they were informed that the testing session had already been closed.
Terry would officially be recorded as having failed to attend the test.
...
Ethan had rushed back from London as soon as he heard.
Now he sat in his office listening while Mourinho and Terry explained everything that had happened.
His immediate reaction was simple.
Terrible luck.
Almost unbelievably terrible luck.
In Ethan's previous life, a similar controversy had involved Rio Ferdinand.
This time, somehow, Terry had found himself in the same position.
And the consequences could be devastating.
A worldwide suspension of up to two years?
For a young player still developing, two years without competitive football could change an entire career.
"Boss, I can guarantee John really was ill," Curtis said anxiously. "He had a fever. He was barely steady on his feet."
Ethan gave him a helpless smile.
"Of course I believe him."
He looked around the room.
"The problem is proving it to everyone else."
"If this becomes public, what do you think the newspapers will say?"
Beckham understood the British media better than almost anyone in the room.
"They'll say he deliberately avoided the test," he replied.
"And from the outside, it looks terrible."
He frowned.
"A random test happens on the exact day John has a fever, leaves the training ground, can't be reached by phone, and doesn't return before the deadline."
"People are going to ask how all of that happened at once."
"Exactly," Ethan said.
"So the most important thing is proving that John didn't deliberately evade the test."
That distinction mattered enormously.
If the authorities accepted that Terry's absence had been accidental rather than deliberate, any punishment could be significantly reduced.
Possibly even to a fine or a much shorter sanction.
And as far as Ethan was concerned, anything that could be resolved financially was infinitely preferable to losing Terry for two years.
Ethan immediately called FA chief executive Mark Palios.
He began by acknowledging that the club had made a procedural mistake.
The situation had resulted from a series of unfortunate circumstances.
Terry had already been allowed to leave Newton Heath because of illness before anyone at the club knew he had been selected for testing.
Ethan made it clear that New Manchester United would cooperate fully with any investigation.
But his position was equally clear.
Terry had not deliberately avoided a doping test.
The failure had come from poor communication and unfortunate timing.
New Manchester United had maintained a good relationship with the FA for years.
The club had always treated the governing body respectfully.
Winning the UEFA Cup as a First Division side the previous season had also brought considerable prestige to English football.
More recently, Ethan's youth-development proposal had been structured in a way that gave the FA a central role rather than attempting to bypass it.
That relationship helped.
But the issue was serious.
International football authorities were placing increasing emphasis on anti-doping enforcement, and the FA could not simply ignore the matter.
Palios told Ethan that the club should provide as much evidence as possible demonstrating that Terry's absence had not been deliberate.
Ethan agreed immediately.
He would submit everything they could gather.
...
After speaking with Palios and government sporting officials, Ethan summoned Professor Fryer along with the heads of the relevant departments at Newton Heath.
The first thing he requested was footage from the training ground before and after Terry left.
The sports-science staff routinely recorded training sessions for analysis, so Professor Fryer had no difficulty providing it.
The club's security department also supplied surveillance footage and exact arrival times for the doping-control officers.
That produced an important detail.
Terry's car had left Newton Heath less than five minutes after the testing officials arrived.
At that point, nobody within the club knew which players had been selected.
That made the possibility of Terry receiving advance warning extremely unlikely.
There were dozens of first-team and academy players at Newton Heath.
How could anyone have known Terry would be one of the four chosen?
The club then contacted the hospital near Terry's home.
Records confirmed that he arrived there approximately twenty minutes after leaving Newton Heath and received treatment for flu-like symptoms and a fever.
The hospital was prepared to provide documentation.
The attending doctor was willing to confirm Terry's condition.
Several nurses could also verify that Terry had fallen asleep while receiving treatment and had not even woken when his phone rang repeatedly.
Within two days, New Manchester United had assembled every piece of evidence they could find.
The material was submitted to the FA and the relevant anti-doping authorities.
The club also prepared to address the issue publicly.
By then, the story had already exploded across the British media.
England international John Terry had missed a drugs test.
That headline alone was enough to generate days of speculation.
To protect Terry while the investigation continued, Mourinho left him out of the squad for the fifth Premier League match of the season, away to Southampton.
Officially, the club stated that his fever had not fully subsided.
The controversy clearly affected the team.
So did the recent international break.
Several players looked mentally and physically flat.
Southampton took advantage.
They played with aggression and determination and went ahead early after Vidić, starting in Terry's place, made a defensive mistake.
At half-time, Mourinho tore into his players for their lack of concentration.
The response came in the second half.
New Manchester United improved significantly, and in the 74th minute Drogba finally equalised.
1-1.
Neither side found another goal.
New Manchester United left with a point and remained eighth in the Premier League.
After the match, the club formally presented its evidence at a press conference.
The purpose was straightforward.
Demonstrate that Terry had not deliberately avoided the test.
Soon afterwards, the FA confirmed that it had received the evidence and would hold a disciplinary hearing in October.
...
Three days later, New Manchester United hosted Chelsea in the sixth round of the Premier League.
Chelsea had changed dramatically over the summer.
Mourinho treated them accordingly.
He selected his strongest available side.
And despite the controversy surrounding him, Terry returned to the starting eleven.
The club had made its position clear.
Until the disciplinary process reached a conclusion, John Terry remained a New Manchester United player in good standing.
When Terry emerged from the tunnel, banners appeared throughout the stands.
Messages of support covered large sections of Old Trafford.
Since joining the club, the London-born defender had become one of the pillars of New Manchester United's defence.
He was less flamboyant than Curtis.
Less visibly aggressive.
But supporters understood exactly how important he was.
Reliable.
Disciplined.
Consistent.
A central part of everything Mourinho had built defensively.
Ethan had spoken privately with Terry before the match.
"Forget everything else for ninety minutes."
"Play your football."
"The club will deal with the rest."
"We'll do everything we can to get you through this."
Mourinho had said something similar publicly.
Until someone ruled otherwise, Terry remained one of his first-choice centre-backs.
The backing from the club and supporters affected Terry deeply.
Against Chelsea, he played with extraordinary focus.
Curtis was unavailable, so Terry partnered Chiellini in central defence.
Together, they completely shut down Chelsea's strike pairing of Crespo and Mutu.
The midfield duel offered another intriguing storyline.
Beckham against Verón.
And the comparison only highlighted how much Beckham had progressed in his new role.
His control of the game's tempo had improved noticeably.
He organised one attack after another.
His defensive work was equally impressive.
By the final whistle, he had contributed both a goal and an assist.
New Manchester United won 3-0.
Chelsea's five-match unbeaten start to the season was over.
...
After beating Chelsea, the squad travelled to Cyprus for the UEFA Cup.
This time Mourinho rested a large number of first-choice players.
Ribéry.
Maicon.
De Rossi.
Yaya Touré.
Several others were given opportunities.
The rotated side responded superbly.
New Manchester United demolished APOEL 6-0 away from home.
The result effectively secured their place in the next round of the UEFA Cup.
There was little time to celebrate.
Their next match was away to Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League.
Bolton had endured a difficult opening six rounds.
Two defeats.
Four draws.
Among those results were heavy 4-0 losses to reigning champions Manchester United and newly promoted Portsmouth.
Now another promoted side was coming to the Reebok Stadium.
Bolton desperately wanted their first victory.
The match became a physical battle.
The timing of Terry's disciplinary hearing was approaching, and media coverage of the missed drugs test had intensified again.
The constant attention affected the squad.
Mourinho therefore started Vidić alongside Curtis in central defence.
The Serbian responded with an excellent performance.
Together, Vidić and Curtis broke up several dangerous Bolton attacks.
At the other end, however, New Manchester United struggled badly.
International fixtures.
Premier League matches.
European football.
Travel.
The schedule was beginning to show in the players' legs.
The attack lacked its usual sharpness.
The match remained tight.
Then the captain took responsibility.
Beckham won a free kick.
He scored.
Later, New Manchester United earned another.
Beckham scored again.
Two free kicks.
Two goals.
Bolton 0-2 New Manchester United.
It had been difficult.
But they had their three points.
Those consecutive league victories pushed New Manchester United up to fifth place.
Arsenal remained top.
Chelsea and Liverpool followed.
Manchester United sat fourth.
New Manchester United were fifth.
And both Manchester clubs still had their postponed third-round fixture against one another waiting to be played.
(To be continued.)