July 9 – All doping tests on players competing at the World Cup have proved negative, according to FIFA. Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s chief medical officer, said both blood and urine samples from the first 58 games came back clean as did 777 out-of-competition tests conducted between March 1 and June 11.
”We have not found any prohibitive substances… either prior or during competition,” Dvorak said.
The samples have all had to be flown across the Atlantic Ocean to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s laboratory in Switzerland after WADA revoked the accreditation of the drug-testing facility in Rio for failing to comply with international standards.
Football has long been viewed as virtually largely immune from the use of performance enhancing drugs. The last time a player tested positive at a World Cup was in 1994 when Argentina’s Diego Maradona was sent home in disgrace.
Contact the writer of this story at moc.l1731837128labto1731837128ofdlr1731837128owedi1731837128sni@w1731837128ahsra1731837128w.wer1731837128dna1731837128