Will football be excluded from Olympic competition?
Published: 25 March, 2009, 20:06
On Tuesday, European football’s governing body, the UEFA, joined forces with FIFA in unanimously rejecting WADA's controversial ‘whereabouts’ rule – a move which they may pay dearly for.
The rule, which has been in place since January 1, requires athletes to inform national anti-doping authorities of their location for an hour every day, while FIFA wants the rule to apply to teams and not players.
Out-of-competition doping tests should take place only at club training facilities, FIFA also insists, and players should not be tested during holidays, which the world’s governing body believes could violate player’s rights.
The demands drew a harsh response from WADA President John Fahey, who lashed out at FIFA and UEFA, saying that both were ‘ignoring the reality of doping’.
Fahey’s colleague, WADA general secretary David Howman, went even further. In his address to the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF), Howman pointed out that no other team sport had objected to the ‘whereabouts’ rule.
“It's in the IOC charter that any non-compliant federation can be removed from the Olympic program,” he said before adding: “If you're going to be way out in left field you're going to be pretty lonely.”
25.03.2009, 14:53
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26.03.2009, 12:54
Full house expected in Luzniki as Russia take on AzerbaijanThe next seven days could go a long way to helping Russia's cause of making the next football World Cup in South Africa, and after a five-month break, the Moscow public is eager to see their heroes in action. |
