March 8 – FIFA did not prosecute a single doping case from more than 2,600 samples taken from players at its tournaments in 2023.
The annual report of FIFA’s anti-doping programme showed one positive test at the Women’s World Cup later explained by a player’s medical exemption, and two potential men’s cases that were later closed.
FIFA said it collected samples from 860 players at the Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, where some were tested up to seven times.
A total of 732 players gave samples at men’s events including two editions of the Club World Cup, youth World Cups and some qualifying games for the 2026 World Cup.
At the 2022 men’s World Cup, FIFA said it prosecuted five disciplinary cases for positive tests during qualification games. Those players were from Costa Rica, Djibouti, El Salvador, Honduras and Ivory Coast.
FIFA published its latest report one week after France and Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba was banned for four years by an Italian tribunal after testing positive for the steroid precursor DHEA. He is appealing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
FIFA said there was one suspected positive test for testosterone at the men’s Under-20 World Cup played in Argentina. “However, a follow-up test and subsequent analysis did not confirm the atypical finding and there was therefore no case brought forward,” the report said.
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