25 Mar 2009

WADA slams football authorities over rule rejection

3:30 pm on 25 March 2009

The World Anti-Doping Agency has warned football officials their sport risks being dropped from the Olympics if its authorities fail to recognise the reality of drugs cheats.

European football's governing body UEFA has joined the world body FIFA in unanimously rejecting the agency's controversial "whereabouts" rule that requires athletes to inform national anti-doping authorities of their location for an hour every day.

FIFA wants the rule to apply to teams, not individual players,and says out-of-competition tests should happen at club training facilities.

But the agency's general secretary says no other team sports have objected to the whereabouts rule.

David Howman says under the IOC charter any non-compliant federation can be removed from the Olympic program.

And he says football's objections are confusing because the rule's been in place since January 1.