26 Mar 2009

Wada responds to FIFA's decision on whereabouts rule

7:18 am on 26 March 2009

The world anti-doping chief John Fahey has accused FIFA and UEFA of ignoring reality, after they rejected rules that ease out-of-competition drugs testing of individual footballers.

Fahey says one of the key principles of efficient doping control is the surprise effect and the possibility to test an athlete without advance notice on a 365 day basis.

He says alleging, as FIFA and UEFA do, that testing should only take place at training grounds and not during holiday periods, ignores the reality of doping in sport.

Since the beginning of January, the world anti-doping code requires elite athletes to give notice of their location on a chosen one-hour period each day, seven days a week.

Yesterday the footballing bodies formally rejected the 'whereabouts' rule, arguing that team sport players should be treated differently.