Arsene Wenger has lashed out at UEFA for their stance on drugs in football, claiming their actions suggest that they “basically accept doping” (via the Mirror).
This all comes in the wake of a Champions League doping scandal, with Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi testing positive following our group stage clash on September 16th.
Ademi has been banned for four years for testing positive, but the Croatian side have gone totally unpunished. Wenger is furious that next to nothing has been done, and let everyone know just how he felt.
“It doesn’t look logical,” said Wenger.
“Especially if you test only three players.
“It’s a surprising rule. You cannot say that they had a doped player but the result stands. That means you basically accept doping.”
Don't Miss:
- [Player ratings] Arsenal 0-0 Crystal Palace: Flying save earns Gunners a drab point
- [Team news] Arsenal line up vs Crystal Palace – ‘Special’ star returns
- [Team news] Arsenal line up vs Newcastle – Two major returns in FA Cup
While obviously clubs don’t have total control, they have to take some of the responsibility for their players doping and being involved in these sorts of scandals.
We are the ones who are experiencing the effects of Ademi’s doping, as we were the ones who were on the losing side against a team with (at least one) player guilty of doping.
Like Wenger says, only three players were tested, so who knows how many of the team were involved?
SEE MORE:
Arsenal transfer news
Regardless of whether it’s one or 11 though, there needs to be more severe consequences for a team if their players are caught doping. If the punishments are so minimal, then why would a club think twice about looking the other way when – or even endorsing – a few of their players start doping?
It’s something that needs to be stamped out of the game, and that is not going to happen unless we become far stricter. It’s the same with everything that is wrong with football; diving, racism, overspending, it is all going to continue unless we start clamping down.
COMMENTS