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Doping Scandal - football & other sports
Topic Started: 3 Apr 2016, 09:03 AM (259 Views)
daib0
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Arsenal, Chelsea and Leicester 'Named in Doping Scandal' Exposed by Sunday Times

A number of Premier League football teams have been named in a report in the ​Sunday Times which claims widespread doping across British sport

Arsenal and Chelsea are among the teams named in the report, as are Premier League leaders Leicester City and Championship side Birmingham City.

The newspaper secretly recorded a doctor - Dr Mark Bonar - claiming to have been involved in doping at least 150 sports stars, including a number of top-flight footballers in a story which has been described as "English football's first major doping scandal". The doctor also said that he has been involved in the doping of "an England cricketer, British Tour de France cyclists, a boxing champion and tennis players".

However, not a single one of the 150 supposed clients has been named in the report.. That fact, combined with ​the doctor's dubious background, have led to some people casting doubt on the truth of his revelations.

The Times also report that culture secretary John Whittingdale ordered an inquiry this weekend into the UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) watchdog, which it says was given evidence about the actions of the doctor in question two years ago but failed to take any action against him.

Doping has been a hot topic around the sporting world over the last few months, with Russian athletes in particular coming under the microscope after a lengthy investigation found evidence of widespread, systematic doping.

Tennis star Maria Sharapova also failed a drug test earlier this year, as one of a flurry of stars falling foul of meldonium being added to the banned drug list at the turn of the year.


So ... it appears it's in football too.

Where do we go from here then?



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SuffolkRoyal
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Looks like there will be a lot more investigation into the claims being made. We know it goes on in other sports like athletics and the recent revelations in tennis, so I suppose we shouldn't be surprised that it could also be happening in football.
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daib0
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now featured on BBC Sport - with denials of course from the clubs supposedly involved...



Anti-doping: Arsenal, Chelsea & Leicester deny 'false' claims

Three Premier League clubs have denied "false" doping allegations made by the Sunday Times newspaper.

The paper claims London-based private doctor Mark Bonar prescribed performance-enhancing drugs to over 150 British athletes including footballers.

Arsenal said they were "extremely disappointed" by the publication of the claims, "which are without foundation".

Chelsea said the claims are "false and entirely without foundation" while leaders Leicester also denied them. Chelsea added they have "never used the services of Dr Bonar and have no knowledge or record of any of our players having been treated by him or using his services".

Leicester denied the allegations and added: "We are extremely disappointed that The Sunday Times has published unsubstantiated allegations referring to players from clubs including Leicester City when, on its own admission, it has insufficient evidence to support the claims."

The newspaper says it has secretly filmed Bonar claiming he has prescribed drugs such as EPO, steroids and human growth hormone to elite sports professionals from the UK and abroad over the past six years, including:

several Premier League footballers
an England cricket international
British cyclists
tennis players
The Sunday Times says it has no independent evidence Bonar treated the footballers or the other sportsmen.


Bonar told the Sunday Times he treated the athletes for medical reasons and not to enhance their performance. There is no suggestion the substances were illegal.

The Football Association released a statement regarding the claims, saying: "These are very serious allegations. As such, The FA welcomes UK Anti-Doping's decision to immediately launch an independent review into the matters raised by the Sunday Times. The FA is fully committed to maintaining the integrity of English football and will work with Ukad and other relevant agencies in seeking to do so. The FA urges anyone with information that may be relevant to come forward as soon as possible."

The case is now the subject of a government investigation, following claims made by a whistleblower athlete who was banned for breaching anti-doping rules in 2014. According to the newspaper, the sportsman - who wishes to remain anonymous - approached the UK Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad) with evidence that indicated Bonar had allegedly prescribed him performance-enhancing drugs. Ukad says it did begin an investigation into Bonar but found that he was outside of its jurisdiction as he was not governed by a sport, and decided not to pass the case to the General Medical Council (GMC) or to contact him.

Ukad chief executive Nicole Sapstead said the organisation was "deeply concerned and shocked by the allegations" and it would conduct an independent review into the case.

World Anti-Doping Agency president Craig Reedie told BBC Radio 5 live it was "pretty dreadful news" and backed calls for an inquiry, but added: "It is best to wait for Ukad to do their own investigation, then we have full knowledge of the facts to work with. My own guess is if they had sufficient evidence then they would have acted."


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