FIFA confirm no positive drug tests at World Cup

FIFA have announced that all of the drug tests conducted during the recent World Cup returned negative.

Over 550 blood and urine samples were taken from players in South Africa, with FIFA carrying out twice as many pre-competition tests than at the 2006 tournament.

The complex process of testing athletes for any prohibited substances began in the months before the main tournament with players asked to provide detailed information on their whereabouts.

FIFA doping control officers carried out random tests on the 32 participating teams in the build-up to the tournament, including at training sessions and warm-up matches.

Tests were conducted after every match during the competition, with two randomly-selected players from each squad asked to comply with the officials. The samples were then sent to a lab in Bloemfontein to be analysed.

“In comparison to the 2006 FIFA World Cup, FIFA has doubled the number of pre-competition tests,” said Professor Jiri Dvorak, FIFA’s Chief Medical Officer.

“Players have never been subjected to such in-depth testing ahead of a World Cup as they were this year.

“It was therefore all the more pleasing that the teams were so cooperative, and the test results prove that top performances can be achieved in football without resorting to prohibited substances and methods.”