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BBC
survey suggests 160 professional footballers are drug cheats
The
largest ever survey of professional footballers in England has revealed
widespread performance enhancing drug abuse in the sport.
The
Football Association has always denied that the game has a drug
problem.
But
the anonymous survey of more than 700 players conducted for BBC
ONE's Real Story with Fiona Bruce came up with disturbing results:
nearly
half the players questioned (46%) thought football did have a drug
problem;
more
than one in 20 players (5.6%) admitted they personally know of a
colleague using performance enhancing drugs.
The
survey was conducted on behalf of the BBC, with the co-operation
of the Professional Footballers' Association, by Professor Ivan
Waddington from the University of Leicester.
He
told the programme: "5.6 per cent of our sample said they knew
of players who had used performance enhancing drugs.
"Translating
that to the national membership of the PFA, that equates to an equivalent
of 160 players.
"This
is the equivalent of four full squads in each of the divisions -
four full squads who know of other players who are using performance
enhancing drugs.
"It
was young players aged between 19 and 24 who were most likely to
report that they knew players who used performance enhancing drugs
that may suggest that the increase is a very recent phenomenon."
The
survey also discovered an alarming use of mystery injections.
Nearly
one player in 20 (four per cent) admitted that they had received
injections when they had no idea what substance they were being
given.
Professor
Waddington describes the figure as "worrying" and says
it translates to 114 players.
The
FA maintains that it runs a rigorous testing programme. However
the survey revealed a serious flaw in the testing procedure.
Of
the players who had been tested more than one in 20 (5.8 per cent)
had been given advance notice.
Speaking
anonymously to the BBC, one of UK Sport's Independent Sampling Officers,
who conduct the tests on behalf of the FA, discusses flaws in the
testing procedure.
He
says: "When
we get to a club we can only randomly test the players who are there
and in training on that day.
"I
get a list of clubs from UK Sport long in advance and I wouldn't
be surprised if others know about it.
"If
a club knows in advance we're coming and the club suspects one of
their players, they keep him off training and his name doesn't appear
on the list I am given."
This
view is backed up by comments from players responding to the survey
who claim that testers only ever come to the club on Monday mornings.
The
FA claim its testing involves seven days a week testing.
In
another blow to claims that the FA's testing system works effectively
the survey uncovers widespread recreational drug abuse.
Players
claim:
nearly
half of professional players (46 per cent) know a colleague who
uses recreational drugs.
The
FA's testing is meant to detect recreational drug use.
But
on average only six players are caught per year.
The
programme also explores the history of performance enhancing drug
abuse in professional football.
Former
Manchester United goalkeeper Harry Gregg a survivor of the
Munich air disaster- reveals he regularly used performance enhancing
pills.
He
says: "You get pills to put you to sleep, you get pills to
wake you up, you get pills to dry you out - that was the expression
around the game at that time.
"When
I took the pills I would be hyper until the early hours of the morning.
"If
you played well I might take one next week. But I do know that if
you did take it you found it hard to get to sleep - you were tossing
and turning and still hyper until two or three in the morning."
Former
Olympic weightlifter Brian Batcheldor - who advises athletes how
to use performance enhancing drugs safely - admits to the programme
that he has advised British professional footballers how to use
anabolic steroids.
He
tells Real Story with Fiona Bruce: "My gut feeling was that
there certainly wasn't a resistance to players using this."
Notes
to Editors
Real
Story with Fiona Bruce is on BBC ONE on Monday (19 May 2003) at
7.30pm.
Fiona
Bruce to front the Real Story (25.02.03)
All the
BBC's digital services are now available on Freeview,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable.
Freeview
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from BBCi, as well as 11 BBC radio networks.
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