Post by Macmoish on Sept 13, 2011 8:00:06 GMT
I don't like the policy...It requires lying to/misleading fans, just for starters.
Guardian/Owen Gibson
FA defends secret bans on players failing tests for recreational drugs
• Scottish international Garry O'Connor named by documentary
• O'Connor served secret ban for cocaine at Birmingham City
The Football Association will defend its policy of keeping the identity of players who fail drug tests for recreational substances confidential in the wake of a Channel 4 documentary that named a Scottish international as one of those who had served a ban in secret.
The Dispatches documentary revealed that the former Birmingham City striker Garry O'Connor failed a drug test for cocaine when he played for the club, believed to be during the 2009-10 season, with his ban coinciding with an injury.
In its pre-publicity, Channel 4 had said the programme would reveal a multimillion-pound footballer was transferred without the buying club being informed he had failed a drugs test. O'Connor fits the multimillion-pound tag having moved from Hibernian to Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006 for £1.6m and to Birmingham to for £2.7m a year later.
The player later moved to Barnsley on a free transfer and returned to Hibs this summer when out of contract, but has this season returned to something approaching his best form.
The FA has long had a policy of testing for recreational drugs, which it argues it is not required to do by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but keeping positive tests confidential if they are not recorded "in competition" on a match day.
The FA will argue that the vast majority of those who fail tests for cocaine and cannabis are young players whose names should remain confidential in order to give them the best chance of rehabilitation. The programme said it had seen details revealing the identities of "dozens" of players, whose failed tests are listed on the UK Anti-Doping website but whose names remain confidential.
"The FA prohibits all the doping offences listed in the World Anti-Doping Agency code and applies all the sanctions laid down in the code for those offences," an FA spokesman said.
"In addition, the FA, supported by all the football stakeholders, recognise the issues that social drugs may cause and choose to go beyond the Wada code by proactively testing all samples for social drugs, irrespective of whether the tests are conducted in or out of competition. Football is one of the only sports in the UK that ban social drugs at all times, and were the first to do so.
"Any player who tests positive for a social drug out of competition is charged and subject to a sanction which ordinarily includes a suspension from all football activity for a period of up to six months for a first-time offence.
"They are also subject to target testing for a period of two years. The FA do not report the name of the player as this offence is not a Wada Code offence and privacy allows for the player to undergo any necessary rehabilitation and counselling."
O'Connor, who won his first Scottish cap at 18 and has played 16 times for his country, was due to appear in court in Edinburgh last week accused of possessing cocaine and running away from police when they attempted to take his details. O'Connor was absent but the sheriff court continued the case without plea until later this month.
The 28-year-old, who was charged shortly after rejoining Hibs in June, was on Monday believed to be waiting for the programme to air before deciding how to respond.
The programme also discovered that between April 2007 and August 2010, 240 drugs tests had to be abandoned because testers turned up at training grounds but players were not there. The clubs involved included Manchester City, Liverpool, Fulham, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea and Crystal Palace.
But FA insiders said those figures equated to 60 abandoned tests, because each one involved testing four participants. They said that averaged out at five abandoned testing missions due to last-minute schedule changes per league per season, including youth and reserve teams.
The documentary also claimed that internal documents revealed UK Anti-Doping believed the six-month ban handed to Manchester City striker Kolo Touré for taking a banned substance found in slimming pills was "weak".
"UKAD always seeks expert opinion on a decision that may be considered, or perceived to be considered, lenient to defend the interests of clean sport," said a spokeswoman. "UKAD, Fifa, the FA and Wada had the opportunity to appeal the Kolo Touré decision. However, following legal consultation, UK Anti-Doping deemed that an appeal lacked the necessary point of law."
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/sep/12/fa-drugs-tests-garry-oconnor
Guardian/Owen Gibson
FA defends secret bans on players failing tests for recreational drugs
• Scottish international Garry O'Connor named by documentary
• O'Connor served secret ban for cocaine at Birmingham City
The Football Association will defend its policy of keeping the identity of players who fail drug tests for recreational substances confidential in the wake of a Channel 4 documentary that named a Scottish international as one of those who had served a ban in secret.
The Dispatches documentary revealed that the former Birmingham City striker Garry O'Connor failed a drug test for cocaine when he played for the club, believed to be during the 2009-10 season, with his ban coinciding with an injury.
In its pre-publicity, Channel 4 had said the programme would reveal a multimillion-pound footballer was transferred without the buying club being informed he had failed a drugs test. O'Connor fits the multimillion-pound tag having moved from Hibernian to Lokomotiv Moscow in 2006 for £1.6m and to Birmingham to for £2.7m a year later.
The player later moved to Barnsley on a free transfer and returned to Hibs this summer when out of contract, but has this season returned to something approaching his best form.
The FA has long had a policy of testing for recreational drugs, which it argues it is not required to do by the World Anti-Doping Agency, but keeping positive tests confidential if they are not recorded "in competition" on a match day.
The FA will argue that the vast majority of those who fail tests for cocaine and cannabis are young players whose names should remain confidential in order to give them the best chance of rehabilitation. The programme said it had seen details revealing the identities of "dozens" of players, whose failed tests are listed on the UK Anti-Doping website but whose names remain confidential.
"The FA prohibits all the doping offences listed in the World Anti-Doping Agency code and applies all the sanctions laid down in the code for those offences," an FA spokesman said.
"In addition, the FA, supported by all the football stakeholders, recognise the issues that social drugs may cause and choose to go beyond the Wada code by proactively testing all samples for social drugs, irrespective of whether the tests are conducted in or out of competition. Football is one of the only sports in the UK that ban social drugs at all times, and were the first to do so.
"Any player who tests positive for a social drug out of competition is charged and subject to a sanction which ordinarily includes a suspension from all football activity for a period of up to six months for a first-time offence.
"They are also subject to target testing for a period of two years. The FA do not report the name of the player as this offence is not a Wada Code offence and privacy allows for the player to undergo any necessary rehabilitation and counselling."
O'Connor, who won his first Scottish cap at 18 and has played 16 times for his country, was due to appear in court in Edinburgh last week accused of possessing cocaine and running away from police when they attempted to take his details. O'Connor was absent but the sheriff court continued the case without plea until later this month.
The 28-year-old, who was charged shortly after rejoining Hibs in June, was on Monday believed to be waiting for the programme to air before deciding how to respond.
The programme also discovered that between April 2007 and August 2010, 240 drugs tests had to be abandoned because testers turned up at training grounds but players were not there. The clubs involved included Manchester City, Liverpool, Fulham, Everton, Newcastle, Swansea and Crystal Palace.
But FA insiders said those figures equated to 60 abandoned tests, because each one involved testing four participants. They said that averaged out at five abandoned testing missions due to last-minute schedule changes per league per season, including youth and reserve teams.
The documentary also claimed that internal documents revealed UK Anti-Doping believed the six-month ban handed to Manchester City striker Kolo Touré for taking a banned substance found in slimming pills was "weak".
"UKAD always seeks expert opinion on a decision that may be considered, or perceived to be considered, lenient to defend the interests of clean sport," said a spokeswoman. "UKAD, Fifa, the FA and Wada had the opportunity to appeal the Kolo Touré decision. However, following legal consultation, UK Anti-Doping deemed that an appeal lacked the necessary point of law."
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/sep/12/fa-drugs-tests-garry-oconnor