FIFA gives Russian squad all-clear after investigation finds no evidence of doping

Doping

By Paul Nicholson

May 23 – Russian players selected for duty at this summer’s World Cup finals have all been cleared to play. FIFA has confirmed that there are no anti-doping cases being pursued against any players named in Russia’s provisional squad for their home World Cup.

FIFA did say that investigations of Russian footballers not in the World Cup squad are “still ongoing”, however, with further updates to be provided “in due course”.

In a press statement FIFA said that “the investigations concerning all Russian players named for the provisional squad of the FIFA World Cup™ in Russia have been completed, with the result that insufficient evidence was found to assert an anti-doping rule violation. FIFA has informed the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) of its conclusions, and WADA in turn has agreed with FIFA’s decision to close the cases.

Russian footballers were included in evidence of sample tampering at the Moscow Laboratory, which was disclosed in the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)-commissioned McLaren Report following evidence from Moscow Laboratory director turned whistleblower Grigory Rodchenkov.

FIFA subsequently launched its own investigations that included a re-analysis of all samples taken by FIFA and its confederations that had been stored at WADA-accredited laboratories of all players mentioned in the McLaren reports. All the results were negative.

“Samples seized by WADA from the Moscow laboratory and stored at the Lausanne laboratory were subjected to forensic analysis (for scratches/marks and abnormal salt levels). For this process, FIFA applied the methodology recommended by WADA and used by the International Olympic Committee. None of the samples analysed showed marks that were typical of tampering and the urine did not show any suspect salt values,” said FIFA.

FIFA also sent questions to Rodchenkov “and his answers assessed with the support of scientific and legal experts.”

As a further check FIFA carried out “several unannounced targeted doping controls in the process of the investigations.”

The Russian squad has been one of the most tested teams prior to the World Cup kick off, said FIFA.

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