Arsene Wenger Claims Football Has Serious Doping Problem
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has become the latest to speak out on the topic of doping in sports in the wake of the massive scandal currently engulfing Russian athletics.
Speaking to L'Equipe (h/t the Daily Telegraph's Jeremy Wilson), the longtime Gunners boss was adamant none of his players have ever doped, but he and his team have faced plenty of sides who have:
"I try to be faithful to the values that I believe to be important in life and to pass them on to others. In 30 years as a manager, I’ve never had my players injected to make them better. I never gave them any product that would help enhance their performance. I’m proud of that. I’ve played against many teams that weren’t in that frame of mind.
For me, the beauty of sport is that everyone wants to win, but there will only be one winner. We have reached an era in which we glorify the winner, without looking at the means or the method. And, 10 years later we realise the guy was a cheat. And during that time, the one that came second suffered. He didn’t get recognition.
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Earlier this season, Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi failed a drug test after his team's 2-1 win over the Gunners in the UEFA Champions League. Per Wilson, UEFA are still investigating his "B" sample, with a hearing on the topic scheduled for Nov. 19.
On Tuesday, CNN's Chris Murphy reported Russia are facing a ban from the 2016 Summer Olympics following a damning report commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which concluded the nation is involved in a state-wide doping program.
WADA commission chairman Dick Pound didn't mince his words when he analysed the report, saying "it’s probably the tip of the iceberg,” and “Russia is not the only country and athletics is not the only sport with a doping problem," per Wilson.
Top athletes like the USA's Alysia Montano have stepped forward to demand justice in light of the claims the Russians have been “cheating” for years, per the Guardian's Paul Campbell.
She even took to Twitter to share this list:
Compared to athletics, cycling or bodybuilding, football is a sport in which doping is rarely discussed, and cases like that of Ademi are rare. That doesn't mean doping doesn't happen, however. Wenger has always been a vocal supporter of more sophisticated testing, per Wilson, so it's no surprise to see him comment on these issues at this particular time.
