FIFA has been in denial on issue of doping for too long
Hundreds of elite Russian sportspeople suspected of benefiting from a state-backed cheating scheme continue to compete at world level, some not even being scrutinised by their sporting authorities, let alone prosecuted. The 34 footballers are of interest to the antidoping authorities because of irregularities with some urine samples — although it is unclear seriously.’
The Mail on Sunday’s exclusive investigation into the fallout from the Russian doping scandal shows: FOOTBALL’S world governing body FIFA has admitted they are investigating whether Russia’s entire 23-man 2014 World Cup squad were part of the country’s state-supported doping programme and cover-ups.
The bombshell revelation comes after an Irish Mail on Sunday investigation found those 23 players and another 11 footballers are among more than 1,000 ‘people of interest’ to officials charged with getting to the bottom of global sport’s biggest scandal of the past decade.
With Russia currently hosting the Confederations Cup — they lost 2-1 to Mexico in Kazan last night — and one year before they stage the World Cup, today’s incendiary developments pose further questions about their suitability to host that showpiece.
FIFA has confirmed knowledge of the allegations against the Russian players, and are in possession of detailed evidence and intelligence. What action they are taking is unclear but respected anti-doping advocates say FIFA must act — or face derision.
‘There is a huge onus on FIFA to reach a sensible conclusion on these matters before the World Cup takes place,’ said lawyer Dick Pound, the former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the longest-serving current member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
‘It is incumbent on them to say what steps they are taking, what they find, and take whatever action necessary to protect the integrity of sport. Even within a governing body with as little credibility remaining as FIFA, if you were a senior official you wouldn’t want to be part of a body that ignores this.
‘There has been an institutional denial of doping in football for years … I’ve seen too many presentations by FIFA, straight out of fantasy land, about how they don’t have a problem. They absolutely have to take this case which ones relate to World Cup players — and a concern among investigators that some players at least were being protected from failing tests.
Five of the 23 players tested in 2014 are members of the current Russia squad competing at the Confederations Cup.
The Mail on Sunday’s investigation brings the first confirmation that Russia’s international football team are implicated — a massive embarrassment to the president of the Russian FA, Vitaly Mutko, the former sports minister named in the WADA reports as playing a key role in the scandal.
He is also the man who led Russia’s successful bid to stage the 2018 World Cup. He has always denied any knowledge of, let alone involvement in doping.
The Mail on Sunday has established that 100 footballers’ urine samples are among a batch of around 3,500 ‘airlifted’ from Moscow to Lausanne by WADA two years ago that are waiting to be examined.
The WADA-commissioned investigative team gathered evidence ranging from testimony of key figures involved — including the former head of Moscow’s main lab, Grigory Rodchenkov, now under American protective custody in the USA — to spreadsheets of doping schedules, emails and texts.
Russia destroyed masses of evidence when the scam was rumbled. But even amid what was left, sources say there is ‘compelling evidence’ of possible anti-doping violations in around 600 cases, and ‘evidence’ in hundreds more.
Pound is sceptical about what will happen next.
‘My sense is that most international federations are reluctant to dig too deeply,’ he says. ‘Whether WADA exercise their right to appeal if an IF doesn’t act and evidence appears to be there, we’ll see whether they have the appetite,’ he suggested.
Even a few successful prosecutions per sport would, de facto, be acknowledgement of an organised system that Russia will eventually be forced to accept.
Sources say that some federations are conflicted due to personal connections to alleged cheats.
It has been claimed that federations have been targeted with bribery attempts not to pursue doping cases.
‘There are some federation officials who have been ‘sexually compromised’, said one source, a reference to the well-established old-style KGB tactic of honey-trapping blackmail targets.