SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: FIFA says no "doping culture" in soccer

Record ID: 454723

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: FIFA says no "doping culture" in soccer
  • Date: 13th June 2010
  • Summary: MANGAUNG, FREE STATE, SOUTH AFRICA (RECENT - JUNE 4, 2010) (REUTERS) SIGN READING "SA DOPING CONTROL LABORATORY" VARIOUS OF MACHINE LOADING SAMPLE TO BE TESTED FOR ILLEGAL SUBSTANCES VARIOUS OF TESTING IN PROGRESS
  • Embargoed: 28th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Lifestyle,Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVABZRAE1Q3W579YWKXPOGXC2O4N
  • Story Text: World soccer's governing body FIFA said on Saturday (June 12) there will be comprehensive drug testing at the World Cup in South Africa and voiced hope that the tournament will be remembered by its moments on the pitch rather than those off it.
    The last positive drug result at a World Cup dates back to Argentine Diego Maradona, who tested positive for ephedrine in 1994.
    Since then, most positive drug tests have been for non-performance enhancing drugs. FIFA Chief Medical Officer Professor Jiri Dvorak pointed out that despite a massive increase in tests carried out, the percentage incidence of positive testing had remained about the same.
    "Between 2004 and 2009, we have almost increased by, we almost doubled the amount of the controls, when we look at the total amount of positive cases they remain approximately the same, they are somewhere between 70 to 90 cases a year, and the majority of them are marijuana, cocaine - the recreational drugs," said Dvorak, speaking at a FIFA meeting in Johannesburg on Saturday (June 12).
    "So that accounts for a incidence for doping in football of 0.17 percent in 2009. So we remain, really, very low, it doesn't mean the more we do, the more cheaters we catch."
    The chairman of the FIFA Medical Committee, Doctor Michel D'Hooghe, backed up the figures, saying that while he could not say there were no drugs in football, the number of positive tests indicated that there was not a drug culture in the game.
    "Do you hear me say that there is no doping in football? No, you have seen the statistics in the congress," he said. "We have over 265 million football players, I would be crazy to say that I would be giving a guarantee that no one of these guys ever takes a doping product, we cannot do that, but what I can say, having had contact with other sports disciplines, and perhaps our friends from WADA could also have a comment on that, I cannot say there is no doping in football, but there is no doping culture in football."
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