FA asks public for help after England player cocaine claim

THE Football Association have taken the unusual step of asking people to come forward if they have information about an unnamed England player alleged to have been ‘kicked out of a nightclub for taking cocaine’. A front page story in yesterday’s

Sun, which the newspaper claim came from a ‘club insider’, said the player angered his manager on the pre-Christmas night out and was sent home in a taxi in disgrace. But despite the absence of any details regarding either the player or his club beyond a claim that he has links to the England national team, the FA have urged the public — and presumably the journalists involved in the story — to come forward either to them or UK Anti-Doping. A statement from the governing body read: ‘The FA operates one of the most comprehensive national anti-doping programmes in the world. Although incidents of

doping in English football are very rare, it remains a priority for the FA to find and sanction anyone found taking performance-enhancing or recreational drugs. ‘We encourage anyone with information about any anti-doping violation in football to report it to the FA or to UK Anti-Doping.’ According to the WADA code, taking cocaine out of competition does not lead to a ban but under the FA’s own social drugs policy it does. A first offence can lead to a suspension of up to three months with the FA able to ban a player for life for multiple breaches. According to The Sun, the Premier League player took cocaine in a nightclub after an away match. The manager was said to have been ‘irate’ after seeing his condition. Sportsmail understands the player thought to be at the centre of the allegations denies the claim and is considering legal action. His club have also dismissed the allegation and insist their manager did not attend a nightclub for social drinks with his players over the Christmas period.