FIFA World Cup 2018: Russians will not take part in tournament's drug testing, says football governing body

Russians will not be involved in drug testing procedures at the World Cup as FIFA looks to reassure teams that samples cannot be tampered with, the governing body’s medical committee chairman Michel D’Hooghe has said.

Representational image. Reuters

A 2016 report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and compiled by Canadian sports lawyer Richard McLaren found more than 1,000 Russian competitors were involved in a conspiracy to conceal positive tests over a five-year period.

Football was among the sports implicated in the probe and the sport’s global governing body are taking no chances at the Russia-hosted World Cup.

“My basic condition to lead the anti-doping policy in Russia is that everything would be done from the very beginning to the last point by FIFA without Russian intervention,” D’Hooghe said.

“That means the chaperones, who take the players from the field, will be designated by FIFA and will not be Russian.”

Russia has acknowledged some findings of the McLaren report but has repeatedly denied the existence of a state-sponsored doping programme.

D’Hooghe said players at the 14 June-15 July finals could be accompanied by an official from their national associations with a medical doctor preferred.

“The players will be brought to a doping control room where there will be only FIFA doctors, two FIFA medical people and no entrance for anybody who is not allowed to be there,” Belgian D’Hooghe added.

“Everything will be sealed and brought to the control of the laboratory in Lausanne... I told the people in Russia that if something goes wrong, for the first time they will not be criticised as it will not be their responsibility.”