Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger wants blood testing to be introduced in football

• Frenchman says players who fail drugs test should be sacked by clubs
• ‘Urine checks are superficial and not deep enough’

Posted Tuesday, November 17, 2015 by theguardian.com

Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger wants blood testing to be introduced in football
Arsene Wenger believes urine tests may not be sufficient to catch perpetrators.

Arsene Wenger has repeated his call for blood testing to be introduced in football and insisted that anyone testing positive should have their contracts terminated.

In a recent interview with L’Equipe the Arsenal manager said that he has "played against many teams" that use performance-enhancing drugs. The Football Association has since asked Wenger to explain those comments in light of the recent Russian doping scandal in athletics. The Frenchman has elaborated on his views in an interview with Bein Sports and he has admitted that the urine tests which are currently utilised in football may not be sufficient to catch perpetrators.

"I’m not satisfied with the level of testing because I believe blood tests should be done," he said. "If you want to go into a bit more sophistication you have to do blood checks. Urine checks are superficial and not deep enough to say absolutely sure that we have no doping problem in football.

"I think no [we don’t have a problem] and I wish no but on the other hand, can you have 740 football players at a World Cup and come out with zero alert on any doping? It’s a little bit surprising. I hope it is true but I think to be completely sure about it, you want to go into deeper tests."

Wenger was also asked what deterrents can be put in place to prevent doping and admitted that the current regulations may not be enough to dissuade players from breaking the rules.

"Look, you have to come to the facts," he said. "There are two reasons why a player is doped. First, on personal initiative. That means he hides to his club that he doped because he’s scared to lose his place, because he wants to impress, because he has an individual or personal reason to enhance his performance. Or it is organised by the club to dope some players and enhance the performances because they are not ready or not good enough or because they have a special competition.

" In most cases, I think, you have to make the player feel responsible for the club as well."

Wenger added: "That means, he cannot be only punished if he’s guilty of having doped because it’s too difficult to prove that it’s a club initiative or a personal initiative so the clubs have to be responsible for the doping of the players individually as well and tell them before the season starts, ‘look, for any doping control, your contract is completely finished because the club suffers the consequences.’"

Wenger’s comments come after a Dinamo Zagreb player failed a drug test following the Croatian side’s victory over Arsenal in the Champions League earlier this season. Arsenal were beaten 2-1 in Zagreb in September before Dinamo’s Arijan Ademi failed a drug test, although his B sample is still being investigated.

Wenger also questioned whether current rules that require two players to fail a doping test before the result of a game can be overturned are stringent enough.

"For example, now you have three doping tests after the game. If one of the players is doped, the result of the game is not changed. You need two to be doped to have a result of the game changed but if you test only three, it is nearly impossible that you catch a second one," he said.

"Out of 18, it means you test as well the players who have not played, so you can say there is something in there that is not completely logical and maybe we have to do more. I hope it is not a deep problem and I don’t think it is one. I don’t think in England, in the Premier League, I don’t see any signs of doping at all."

He added: "Uefa’s handling of the situation is according to the rules. I’m not unhappy with the handling of the situation by Uefa. I am more questioning the rules that exist and are maybe not good enough."