Arsene Wenger Calls for 'Deeper' Doping Tests and Punishment in Football

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has reinforced his belief in severely punishing drug cheats, telling a press conference on Friday that the system needs to be tightened up.

Ben Burrows of the Mirror quoted the Frenchman speaking about his thoughts on doping: “What I want is deeper tests and better tests. When people are caught they need to be punished.”

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The Gunners boss' comments come after Dinamo Zagreb player Arijan Ademi tested positive for a banned substance while playing against the Premier League side, according to the Mirror's John Cross.

The London Evening Standard's James Olley also cited Wenger further elaborating on his thoughts about doping:

L'Equipe Sport and Style (h/t Aaron Flanagan of the Mirror) quoted Wenger proclaiming his opinion about sportsmanship and performance after the Ademi incident:

"

I try to be faithful to the values that I find important in life and to transmit them to others.

In 30 years of my coaching career, I never got one of my players injected to be more efficient. I never gave them a product that can improve performance. It is about pride. I've played against a lot of teams that were not in this state of mind.

Today, we will glorify he who runs 10.1 seconds and not the one who runs in 10.2 seconds. But they all run very fast anyway.

This is very dangerous in sport. It is happening in an era where we glorify whoever wins; whatever the method and means.

Then we realise 10 years after that the guy cheated. During that time the one who was second - he suffered and is not recognised.

"

Kerstin Joensson/Associated Press

Zagreb beat Arsenal 2-1 in the Champions League during the match in question, but Ademi's positive test is unlikely to see repercussions to the result,  as reported by Cross. 

The Croatian team said they have never experienced "anything like this," claiming Ademi has been negatively tested six times in the past year, per Cross. The 24-year-old played the full match against the Gunners in September, which saw the north London side unexpectedly capitulate against lesser opposition. 

Football has had a much cleaner image in terms of doping compared to other major sports, as athletics continues to have huge problems with drug use, per the Mirror.

However, Wenger is clearly someone who believes more stringent testing is necessary, though there has yet to be any indication that change will be forthcoming.