Former WADA Head Calls on FIFA to Probe Alleged Russian Football Doping Program

Former President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) Dick Pound called on FIFA to launch an independent investigation into the alleged use of doping by Russian football players, media reported on Sunday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) – Pound called for additional probes of at least 34 samples of Russian football players following the media reports that Martial Saugy, who headed the WADA-accredited drug-testing laboratory in Lausanne until last year, was allegedly paid by the Russian Sports Ministry in the past, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.

From Pound’s point of view, the independent probe “would certainly be a way to provide the process with credibility and avoid any conflict of interest.”

Last month, head of the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) commission Richard McLaren said there could be a separate system for covering positive doping tests of Russian football players. On June 24, the Daily Mail newspaper said the FIFA was probing into doping allegations against all Russian national team members.

Russian Deputy Prime Minister and Russian Football Union President Vitaly Mutko denied the allegations saying that any speculations about doping abuse by the Russian national football team players were nonsensical.

On July 1, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that all Russian players had been tested outside Russia by WADA-accredited laboratories and all their tests had given negative results.