No sign football linked to Russian doping

FIFA says there's no indication football is involved in the doping allegations that have engulfed Russian athletics.

FIFA has "no indications" that football is implicated in alleged widespread doping and corruption in Russian sports.

German broadcaster ARD and French sports daily L'Equipe reported there was extensive doping, cover-ups and extortion in various sports in the 2018 World Cup host nation, some of it linked to the WADA-accredited laboratory in Moscow and Russian Anti-Doping Agency.

An IAAF ethics panel is investigating the claims.

"FIFA monitors carefully the reports concerning doping in Russia and is in close contact with (the World Anti-Doping Agency)," FIFA said Friday. "Up to now, there are no indications that football would be involved."

FIFA intends to use the Moscow lab to test samples from players at the World Cup and the 2017 Confederations Cup warm-up tournament.

FIFA noted that it would take charge of anti-doping programs at its tournaments, and not Russian authorities.

Russian national team players were tested by FIFA before and during this year's World Cup in Brazil. No positive tests were given.

In the 2009-10 season, three Russian players from current champion CSKA Moscow were suspended by UEFA for doping violations.

Defenders Sergei Ignashevich - who played in all three Russia games in Brazil - and Alexei Berezutsky served one-match bans for using stimulants in a cold remedy without permission. They tested positive after a Champions League match at Manchester United.

Two months later, youth international goalkeeper Artur Nigmatullin tested positive for a banned diuretic at a training camp in Spain. UEFA banned him for one year.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino said football does not have a doping problem.

"When somebody tries to cheat, maybe it works in other sports (but) it will not work with us," Infantino said Thursday when asked about the Russian scandal.

Neither FIFA nor UEFA has responsibility for testing players at Russian league clubs.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world