All the main media organisations are reporting that the FA are to ask Arsene Wenger to further clarify the comments he made in his recent interview with L’Equipe Sport and Style.
There hasn’t been an official statement as far as we can see, but an FA spokesperson is quoted widely as saying, “The FA, in conjunction with United Kingdom Anti-Doping (Ukad), operates one of the most comprehensive anti-doping testing programmes in the world.
“We have exceptionally few cases of positive tests for performance-enhancing drugs, which reflects the findings from drug-testing in football worldwide.
“All positive cases for Wada-prohibited substances are published by Ukad and the FA.”
In the interview, the Arsenal manager said, “In thirty years as a manager, I’ve never had my players injected to make them better. I never gave them any product that would help enhance their performance.
“I’m proud of that. I’ve played against many teams that weren’t in that frame of mind.”
It may be that they want assurances that none of those teams were in England, or perhaps that they were, but if they have a conversation that brings greater scrutiny to the game, then it can’t really be a bad thing.
It’s bound to be something he’ll be asked at his next press conference too, so this is one that could run a bit.
Few positive drug tests and few people using drugs are hardly the same thing, FA.
I would be very surprised if in the EPL there are a lot of performance enhancing drugs being used – or blood doping etc.. However I do think if they upped the sophistication of the drug tests a tiny bit, I think there would be loads of the players caught for taking recreational drugs. Maybe taking them on the weekends on a mental night out after a big match – If I think back to Rio Ferdinand situation when he said ‘Oh, yeah I forgot to take the drugs test because I was moving house’ – then the FA banned… Read more »
I agree, looking at the UK football scene, it is so so obvious that “recreation drugs” are the problem, not performance enhancing drugs. But then I wouldn’t be surprised that players do that on thier own, out ex player Kolo Toure did that and got banded.
Yeah..100% agree, just cast your mind back to the Robbie Fowler celebration against Everton – when he acted out snorting bugel, sniffing the white markings of the 6 yrd box. I think it’s definitely out there, at the end of the day, footballers are young lads with bucket loads of money. I know that if I was 21 and earning £50-60K a week I’d probably be dead.. and I think the FA know it happens and I I think that’s why Rio purposely missed the drugs test back in 03′ and he got the retrospective ban from the FA as… Read more »
OMG comment of the week!!!! Lol
Thank you Ken.
Didn’t realise there were as many Rio Ferdinand fans in the house as 6.
Golden
Are you Aresblog in disguise? HAHAHA
What are they smoking over there?
I’m pretty sure Squillaci was on rohypnol.
“The FA, in conjunction with United Kingdom Anti-Doping (Ukad), operates one of the most comprehensive anti-doping testing programmes in the world.”
Don’t they only take urine samples? As in, there’s no blood testing?
My guess is that in reality doping in football is not much less pervasive as it was in cycling.
Using the number of failed tests as the metric for how widespread drug use is only encourages testing agencies to use tests that are easy for cheaters to pass, it makes the FA (in this case) look good. In reality it’s surely the organisations that produce the most positive tests that are doing the best job.
Great point Corny the Third, you guys should see how bad this was in north american sports, especially baseball when Mark McQuire and Sammy Sosa were hitting homeruns for fun. In ice hockey, the bigger problem is with ephedrine and other quick pick me up drugs like smelling salts.
Recreational drugs should’t even be tested for, just performance enhancing.
But even if that were the case they’d still want to limit their success so as not to drive drug cheats out of sport entirely because that would put them out of a job.
Wenger: The fur coat and fancy suits got into my head and i started talking out of my arse.
Seriously this is nothing but it should be interesting nonetheless.
And i wonder is puffing on a blunt before game considered “illegal” or in this case “performance enhancing substancce?” because some of the players out there!
A club that contacted a Brazilian journo for video evidence -that no English media outlet had- to present to the FA shouldn’t be asked to further clarify. If Wenger said there’s widespread doping in football then I believe him. Duck the FA and its political correctness. Wenger’s ITK
Why do they a clarification from Wenger – their own extensive testing results should be proof enough?
If they think Wenger is making false allegations (implying), have some guts and sue him for defamation, disrepute!
If the FA end up fining Wenger it would be funny – much like FIFA, FA also would have a fair share of skeletons!
OK so this one goes like this: AW says he was referring to both UK and Europe, when he mentions Europe UEFA get involved and respond by giving AW a lengthy touchline ban for suggesting doping is a problem in the European game. Whilst AW is serving his ban various stories surface of doping within the European game as the media start to probe, prompted by AW’s interview. UEFA refuse to rescind their ban.
Of course, that’s so ludicrously improbable, I just made it up. Will never happen.
Lol
If that really was the case, shouldn’t Liverpool be banned retrospectively now considering their owners accused the Arsenal of smoking banned stuff 🙂
I say “if Arsene is scrutinized, so should John Henry or whatever of Liverpool”.
Not really a complicated issue to solve. Just say it in the Champions League and point to Zagreb. Problem solved!
This is the interlull taking over.
Wenger knows how to play with media XD
There can be thousands of interpretation of the phrase “frame of mind”
He can’t get in trouble in any case then.
Jose you amateur prick XD
XD
Was not he in Monaco when there was doping scandal in France with Marseille? And then the Zagreb thing this year in CL…. and probably some I have no clue about
I think this is more about the FA trying to protect their image than looking into cases Wenger suspects
This is about shutting him up by condemning him for making baseless allegations. Standard practice from organisations turning a blind eye.
Wenger doesn’t say some thing he knows nothing about so I believe him
A bit defensive by UKAD and the FA.
He did not mention in those 30 years that the team injecting substances was a UK team specifically.
😉
Plenty of Italian teams’ players got done for nandrolone, Spanish footballers were allegedly using the same blood dopers the cyclists used, I’d be astounded if performance enhancing drugs weren’t being used regularly by some teams.
It is already enough for me to ask questions when many players take their shirts off and are built like bouncers, yet run maybe 45km per week in games, plus training on top.
That much running usually wears you down. Paula Radcliffe ain’t big.
The man has managed a lot of football in a lot of places over a long period of time. Of COURSE he’s played against it.
He was around well before these measures became so ‘stringent’, so taking time into consideration, probably within the league as well. It goes without saying this is simply the FA trying to keep a shine on.
Arsene Wenger says words… FA sees opportunity to fine him and Arsenal for money over nothing. Same old story.
why say anything ? he will look a right tool if he cant back his statement up !
Just manage the team and keep quiet !
Wenger was naive in making that statement. I’m sure that what he’s said is true: doping in sport has been around since sport itself. But by speaking up he has put himself in the awkward position where he will now have to start naming names – even if behind closed doors. By the way: I’m I the only one who thinks that the football authorities are far too lenient on drug cheats and their teams? Why haven’t we been awarded that game against Dynamo Zargreb after the failed drug test by Arijan Ademi? If he cheated then that result shouldn’t… Read more »
I don’t think Wenger was naieve Fats. He made his point in a very broad way and said he had ‘suspicions’ not proof or evidence. So he gets his point across while not making any allegations that he can’t prove. Pretty smart if you ask me.
Spot on Fat Gooner! Results affected by drugs cheat should not stand in any sport. It would really put an impetus back on the clubs to beef up their internal testing and to make sure they weren’t fielding cheats.
Gotta be 2 or more players from the same team/game to forfeit the result. That’s UEFAs rule.
But it doesn’t make it right.
If one player in a team illegally benefits from doping then the entire team illegally benefits from doping – that’s why the entire team should be punished.
The law as it stands actually encourages doping: even if you’re caught cheating, your side doesn’t forfeit the result. That can’t be fair. A result obtained by the use of performance enhancing drugs should ALWAYS be disqualified.
Well said fatgooner
Yea Yea…Reading an article and read that Arijan Ademi of Dinamo Zagreb is having his B sample investigated after he failed a drug test after the win against Arsenal in the Champions League in September..
I can’t wait for Theo, Ox, Welbz, and Hector to come back and give the team
a much-needed injection of pace and when Wilshere is fit we’ll all be Jacked-up.
As for Özil, we’re sorted for ‘e’s a whiz!
The man cut his teeth managing football in France during the 80s-early 90s
He’s probably seen all kinds of shit.
Bale’s really bulked up since he went to Madrid..
Just sayin
Didn’t you read all the newspaper articles a few months back? Its all down to the afternoon siestas! I live in Spain now so its just a matter of time til I wake up and my beer belly has morphed into a ripping six pack!
Also interesting, after the big bike scandal and the Spanish doctor who masterminded it all, had known links to Spanish teams like Barca and their national team, but the Spanish judge ordered all the blood that wasn’t cyclists to be destroyed and all evidence to be burnt.
And they had just won a World Cup, and that non stop pressing by Barca 2 times a week with almost no injurys.
It’s just ‘interesting’ that’s all..
Snitches get stiches wenger, as is the law
The more butthurt these football authorities are, the more suspicious they are. Anyway let’s just all grow a pair and stop pretending there’s no doping in football, because it’s naive to think otherwise. I’d start investigating Spain though…
So next up the FA will introduce atrial run of blood testing, and no doubt Arsenal will be picked as the team to test after each game.