Arsene Wenger has called for changes to football’s doping rules, and says that players found guilty of using performance enhancing drugs should have harsher punishments meted out to them.
It’s a subject that has come to the fore since Wenger’s epic interview with L’Equipe and speaking to beIN Sport the Arsenal manager said he found it strange that more positive tests are not uncovered, as well as reiterating his suspicions that doping is not as uncommon as the authorities make out.
“I’m not satisfied with the level of testing,” he said, “because I believe blood tests should be done. If you want to go into a bit more sophistication you have to do blood checks.
“Urine checks are superficial and not deep enough to say absolutely sure that we have no doping problem in football.
“I think no and I wish no but on the other hand, can you have 740 football players at a World Cup and come out with zero alert on any doping? It’s a little bit surprising.
“I hope it is true but I think to be completely sure about it, you want to go into deeper tests.”
On whether or not he has witnessed doping, he continued, “Personally, no. I recently made statements that I never doped or try to dope anybody in my career and it helps me to sleep much better than if I had done it.
“Did I witness some strange things during my career? I say, without any doubt, yes.
“There’s always a big difference between having suspicions and proving it and that’s why I’m not in a position where I can make a statement, ‘I’m sure that he doped.’ You have heard about things, I have heard about things, even players say (it), but what you want is that the control is better than it is done today.
“For example, now you have three doping tests after the game. If one of the players is doped, the result of the game is not changed.
“You need two to be doped to have a result of the game changed but if you test only three, it is nearly impossible that you catch a second one.”
Hard to argue with that, and you can read a full transcript of the interview on Mirror Football.
Yep i agree..
Life ban for culprits
Not sure on that, we have to make sure we’re targeting the right people too. If a 16 year old is pressured to dope by a youth coach, should the player’s career be over?
Well be careful for what you wish for. The FA really stirred the hornets nest on this one.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see some decisions in our games the next couple of months go against us!
I’m sure certain players might have gained enhanced performance level from doping and been doped, But isn’t it surprising that Chelshit are still shit this season with log of dopestars like Costa and the master cunt Terry in their team?
See, dope or no dope, some shit team will still remain shit, While teams below us, ala tottenham, will forever remain under our shadows!
By the way, Kos and Gabriel are Dope, yet They don’t do drugs!
I still don’t understand why it has to be at least two players who tested positive to change the result. Dinamo Zagreb had one player tested positive against Arsenal and we wouldn’t have been sitting in the bottom of the table.
Completely agree – I saw the game on telly, then heard the test result after, and then wondered why there wasn’t a subsequent report on consequences for the game. Felt like the failed test had been pushed into the background with the hope we’d all forget about it. It’s like “oh, he/they only cheated alittle bit so that’s okay….”
Er, we lost against Dynamo Zadrug cheats because we played like twats.
We were capable of beating the shisters regardless. I love our lads but don’t let em off the hook that easy. They have to learn not to take any game lightly. That’s how the invincibles maintained their momentum – no quarter given!!
Struggle to see why we should be rewarded for playing shite football against them because one guy doped. Arsenal are a team that should be beating them even if all 11 of their starters used PEDs.
Fair point the team could’ve played much better, but the issue of PED’s is a moral issue. Unfair advantage gained is still unfair advantage and this to me attacks the very core of what sport should be (yes I know there is huge distortion due to money etc). Ben Johnson, Lance Armstrong, are the names that spring readily to mind but there have also been international rugby players who in contrast have gotten away mostly scot free (I’m a Kiwi, hence the rugby ref). Do we want the sports generation growing up in high school to justify to themselves their… Read more »
So unless on average two thirds of the team are doping, there is no competitive advantage for the team according to uefa. I shake my head so much it’s in danger of falling off
UEFA incompetence is nothing new. Don’t lose your head over it.
Well, yes, but if a significant fraction of the team is doping they will still get caught sooner or later. Let’s say that every time a team is playing, two out of the eleven are using doping. In a single test, they only have an 5.5% (2/11*1/10*3) chance of both of them being amongst the three who are checked. However, if they get checked every game, then they will have a 50% chance of at least one match being declared lost after only 12 games (log(0.5)/log(1-0.055)=12); and a 95% chance of at least one match being declared lost after 53… Read more »
Agreed. As a recovering cycling fan, the impact of PEDs on one’s faith in the performance of a player or team can be devastating. At some innate level, there is a bond between the athlete and public that the athletic performance is real and not enhanced, and PEDs break that bond.
Go to Olympic levels, it will create jobs.
Teams don’t usually want to be tested because in most cases you dope to avoid injury and leagues are ok with turning a blind eye. That’s how if worked for a long time across North American sports.
So thaaat explains our never ending injury crisis 😉
There would be huge benefit to footballers in taking EPO or blood boosting. Neither can be detected using urine testing. The only way to stop these is 1) “out of competition” testing on any day at any time, and 2) a blood passport tracked over time. Even these are fallible but they make life harder for the dopers
FIFA should seize Blather’s assets, apart from a few bob to buy some valium,
and fund a proper testing regime.