A CHANNEL 4 documentary will name dozens of footballers who have failed out of competition drugs tests, the results of which have never been made public by the FA, on Monday night.
The Daily Mail reports that ‘Dispatches: The Truth About Drugs In Football’ will reveal the story of one player that completed a ‘multi-million-pound’ transfer without the buying club knowing that he had tested positive for cocaine.
While none of those named have failed tests for performance-enhancing drugs, the UK anti-doping agency have caught up to 43 professional footballers using cocaine, ecstacy or cannabis during out-of-competition testing.
The FA will wait until after the show is broadcast before making any statement, but are said to be disappointed as they pay for more than 60% of tests on athletes in the UK.
The World Anti-Doping Agency does not demand that any athletes are tested out of season for recreational drugs, and the FA are within their rights to protect the identities of any players caught using non-performance-enhancing drugs during the off season.
