World football’s governing body FIFA has begun an investigation into 11 Russian footballers accused of taking performance-enhancing drugs, Russia’s Football Union announced Wednesday.
The players were implicated in a report delivered last month by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The commission claimed to have found damning evidence on widespread state-backed doping across Russian sport.
The Russian Football Union confirmed it had received a notification from FIFA in a statement on its website.
“We will work on this issue with all relevant bodies and lend FIFA our full cooperation,” the statement said.
The WADA report, authored by Canadian lawyer Richard McLaren, concluded that a “state-sponsored” doping system had been in operation in Russian since 2010 and throughout the Sochi Olympic Games in 2014. The report’s findings have led to many Russian athletes being banned from this summer’s Olympic Games, including Russia’s entire track-and-field team.
The investigations, based on the testimony of the former head of Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory, Grigory Rodchenkov, found that Russia’s anti-doping agency and Sports Ministry covered up 643 positive drugs tests between 2012 and 2015. Eleven of the tests related to footballers, although their names were disclosed in the report.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
