World Cup will be a joke
Olympic chief says football must restore credibility over Russia
RUSSIA’S hosting of the 2018 World Cup and FIFA’s uncritical stance on the nation’s state doping scam have come under fresh fire from the most senior member of the International Olympic Committee and most prominent anti-doping expert.
Dick Pound, the former head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the longest-serving current IOC member, today accuses FIFA of failing to do enough to investigate Russian drug cheating in football, saying: ‘FIFA has been sublimely reluctant to do anything about the situation.’
This comes as the Mail on Sunday reveals that FIFA and WADA have begun openly to blame each other for lack of progress on cases involving alleged Russian footballer cheats.
Pound says the credibility of the 2018 World Cup will be in doubt if FIFA cannot properly investigate evidence that the Russian national football teams were part of the national doping scandal which has seen Russia banned from the 2018 Winter Olympics. With FIFA and WADA engaged in a turf war over who has responsibility to clear up the mess — with months more stalemate apparently ahead — Pound has called on FIFA to take much swifter action.
‘There’s absolutely no reason on the face of the planet that it should take months,’ he told the MoS. ‘They have the data. It’s quite simple to determine whether or not you have a case of doping if you want to.’
The Russian drugs saga has placed FIFA p resident Gianni
Infantino in an invidious position. If FIFA act quickly (finally, a year after first having names of cheats) and find wrongdoing, and have to ban Russian players or take sanctions against the Russian federation, it will be a massive embarrassment.
Russia would be humiliated if star players from an already poor Russia team were found at fault and punished just as they are about to host the World Cup.
If multiple ‘convictions’ arose, of players or indeed the Russian FA, FIFA would be under pressure to exclude the host nation from their own World Cup.
But with FIFA maintaining that Russia Deputy Prime Minister and former Sport Minister Vitaly Mutko can keep his position as chair of Russia 2018 despite the fact that he is now banned for life from the Olympics for his part in the doping scandal, Pound claims that if FIFA don’t act over alleged Russian football doping before the World Cup, the tournament’s credibility is in question.
He said: ‘I think that would add to the general concern to the fairness of the whole tournament and the awarding of it in the first place and whatever role Vitaly Mutko played in getting it and being the chair of the World Cup 2018.’
FIFA claim they are being held back by WADA, saying WADA are dictating how and when key steps will be taken, including new evidence from whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov and performing ‘tampering tests’ on footballer samples.
Despite a meeting between WADA and dozens of sports governing bodies on Thursday to discuss potential prosecutions of alleged drug cheats, FIFA said: ‘FIFA is expecting further information to be provided by WADA in the coming months.’
It has now been a full year since WADA told FIFA that 34 football samples, including those from every member of Russia’s 2014 World Cup squad, ‘might potentially have benefitted from manipulation.’ These 34 samples were among tests from 154 players from Russia where investigator Professor Richard McLaren felt there was sufficient basic evidence for FIFA to check and possibly bring cases.
Both FIFA and WADA agree on all this. They disagree on what has happened since, FIFA in effect arguing that investigations are long and complex, technology has been lacking, and they still need WADA’s help.
The alleged Russian footballer anti-doping violations fall into two categories: players who took drugs and had positive tests covered up; and groups of players who allegedly had their urine swapped to ensure they would be ‘clean’ regardless of whether all individuals in those groups had doped.
The former might be proved via recently leaked Moscow lab data. The latter might be proved if ‘surreptitious opening’ of sample bottles is proved. Both have potentially huge ramifications for Russia up to and including exclusion from a tournament they are hosting, which is unthinkable.
We asked WADA if it is entirely in FIFA’s power to decide on tests for ‘surreptitious opening’. They responded with an unequivocal ‘Yes’.
We asked about the timetable, and WADA said a Swiss expert will decide ‘once all [governing bodies] have indicated which and how many samples they want to subject to forensic analysis.’
FIFA have not provided this information yet.
We asked if FIFA had requested access to Rodchenkov; FIFA said they have, via WADA. WADA said: ‘We are not aware of any such requests’.
Pound said it is of ‘general concern’ that Mutko remains president of the Russian FA.
On FIFA’s stance in general he said: ‘It’s disappointing but not surprising.’
FIFA say: ‘FIFA will continue its investigations, working in close collaboration with WADA and exploring every possible avenue. Should there be enough evidence to demonstrate an anti-doping rule violation by any athlete, FIFA will impose the appropriate sanction.’