What you should know
Football needs bespoke regulations for doping
The World Anti-Doping Agency approach is extremely effective at identifying relevant cases. However, due to the team nature of football, it cannot be managed with the same methods as individual sports such as boxing and tennis. A tailored system focusing on improved testing and monitoring of players’ data would be relevant to the game.
FIFPRO supports the 2021 WADA Code
The reduced penalties for positive results which occurred outside of a sporting context were a welcome reform. However, FIFPRO will continue to challenge decisions on a case-by-case basis when necessary.
An effective anti-doping strategy has still to be established
Challenges include a lack of player representation in the decision-making process, as well as inflexible WADA conventions which are not suitable to the nature of the game. A football-specific judicial panel would be beneficial in determining the outcome of specific cases.
World anti-doping agency code update
FIFPRO welcomes the landmark decision to amend the 2021 World Anti-Doping Agency Code to reduce the disciplinary sanction to as little as one month for athletes where they test positive for a substance in cases unrelated to sports performance.
