International Football
COULD MESSI, OTHER LA LIGA STARS BEEN ON DRUGS AS WADA WARNS SPANISH AUTHORITIES?
BY LIAM MORGAN
A survey in Spain which revealed 97.4 per cent of players do not know what substances are banned shows there is a “lot of work to be done” by the Spanish authorities regarding anti-doping in domestic football, according to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
A WADA spokesperson told insidethegames that the global anti-doping watchdog would contact the relevant officials in Spain following the release of the study, the results of which were described as “alarming” by the body.
The survey, conducted by the Granada University department of sports sciences, revealed 95 per cent of the 1,324 players who responded were unaware of the existence of WADA.
Five per cent admitted to taking banned substances during their careers, while 23.7 per cent claimed they were aware of a team-mate who had doped.
According to Spanish daily newspaper AS, the study covered 88 teams and included 304 players in the top three tiers of Spanish football.
“The results of this study are indeed alarming and seem to indicate that a lot of work remains to be done by the Spanish authorities in relation to anti-doping and domestic football,” the WADA spokesperson said.
“WADA will be in touch with the relevant authorities in Spain to ask how they plan to address this issue and offer any support that may be required.”
WADA has previously raised concerns about anti-doping in Spanish football.
In February 2017, it was revealed that there had not been any sanctioned anti-doping tests conducted on players in Spain’s top flight, La Liga, since the Spanish Agency for Health Protection in Sport (AEPSAD) was declared non-compliant by WADA in March 2016.
AEPSAD claimed 57 tests had been done in the 2016-2017 season from 457 matches in the top two divisions.
Fears were partially allayed by the AEPSAD regaining compliance, while La Liga President Javier Tebas made the bold claim that there was no doping in Spanish football and that it was “not a big concern for us”.
Cases of doping in football remain surprisingly rare but WADA and others have raised issues with the lack of testing in the sport.
Arguably the highest-profile example came when Peru striker Paolo Guerrero tested positive for a metabolite of cocaine.
Guerrero was initially ruled out of last year’s World Cup but his suspension was temporarily lifted so he could play in the tournament.
Frenchman Samir Nasri is among the other footballers to receive a drugs ban as he was given an 18 month suspension, extended from six months, for using a drip treatment when he was playing for Spanish club Sevilla.
-insidethegames
International Football
German Thomas Tuchel becomes 3rd foreign manager for England
Former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has been named the new head coach of the England national team, the country’s Football Association said in a statement on Wednesday.
The German, who is England’s third foreign manager, after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello, will be assisted by Englishman Anthony Barry, the statement added.
“We are thrilled to have hired Thomas Tuchel, one of the best coaches in the world and Anthony Barry who is one of the best English coaches to support him,” FA CEO Mark Bullingham said.
Tuchel replaces Lee Carsley, England’s under-21 manager, who has been in temporary charge since the resignation of Gareth Southgate after England’s defeat by Spain in the Euro 2024 final in July.
-Reuters
International Football
Factbox on England head coach Thomas Tuchel
German Thomas Tuchel has been appointed head coach of the England national team on Wednesday.
Born: Aug. 29, 1973 in Krumbach, Germany.
PLAYING CAREER
* Tuchel played for his local club TSV Krumbach, before moving to FC Augsburg’s academy at the age of 15.
* He never played for Augsburg’s senior side and joined German second division team Stuttgarter Kickers in 1992.
* After eight league appearances for Kickers, Tuchel moved to fourth-tier SSV Ulm.
* Tuchel made 69 league appearances for Ulm as a central defender before he was forced to retire in 1998 at the age of 25 due to a knee injury.
COACHING CAREER
* Tuchel began his coaching career with a youth team role at VfB Stuttgart in 2000, working with future Germany internationals Mario Gomez and Holger Badstuber.
* He returned to Augsburg and took charge of their reserve team for the 2007-08 season.
* Tuchel was appointed Mainz 05 manager in 2009, replacing compatriot Juergen Klopp.
* He guided Mainz to Bundesliga stability during his five-year stint at the club, gaining plaudits for his team’s high energy, attacking style of play.
* Tuchel took over from Klopp as Borussia Dortmund coach in 2015.
* He led Dortmund to a 2-1 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2017 German Cup final. He was sacked by Dortmund three days later.
* Tuchel joined Paris St Germain in 2018 on a two-year contract, replacing Unai Emery.
* He won two Ligue 1 titles, including a domestic quadruple in his second season, and guided the club to their first Champions League final, where they lost 1-0 to Bayern Munich.
* Tuchel was sacked by PSG on Christmas Eve in 2020, despite the club finishing top of their Champions League group and sitting third in the Ligue 1 table.
* He was named Chelsea manager in January 2021 on an initial 18-month contract following the dismissal of Frank Lampard.
* Tuchel revived the team’s Premier League season and guided the London club to the Champions League final, where they beat Manchester City. Chelsea also won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
* Chelsea sacked Tuchel in September 2022 following a shock 1-0 defeat at Dinamo Zagreb in their opening Champions League group game.
* Bayern Munich appointed Tuchel to succeed Julian Nagelsmann in March last year.
* Bayern decided to let Tuchel go at the end of the 2023-24 season despite a contract until 2025. Tuchel steered Bayern to the Bundesliga title in 2022-23, but they finished the last campaign without any silverware for the first time in more than a decade.
* Tuchel will become England’s third foreign manager after Sweden’s Sven-Goran Eriksson and Italian Fabio Capello.
* Tuchel will take over the team in January ahead of the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup.
-Reuters
International Football
Portugal call up same player named in England Under-18 squad
Wolverhampton Wanderers forward Mateus Mane has become hot property after Portugal named the 17-year-old in their Under-18 squad on Friday, one day after England included him in their squad.
Mane was called up for a second successive England youth camp by coach Liam Bramley before the team travel to Marbella for a four-team tournament this month.
Mane is eligible for both teams having played for the Portugal Under-17 side last season. As the Under-18 team is a non-UEFA age group, both nations are entitled to call the player up.
He made his England international debut last month against the Portugal Under-18 side who have named Mane in their squad for a four-nation tournament this month.
With both tournaments running concurrently, Mane can only play for one team and Wolves and England confirmed he would feature in Bramley’s side.
Reuters has contacted Portugal’s football association for clarification.
While players with multiple nationalities have played for more than one country if they are eligible, they are not allowed to switch allegiances at senior level – unless they have played only in friendly matches for the first country.
-Reuters
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