The Hindu : Sport : Football risks being kicked out of Olympics

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 19, 2004

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Sport - Sports : General

Football risks being kicked out of Olympics

PARIS, MAY 18. Football could be dropped from this summer's Olympics if FIFA does not settle a new dispute over doping sanctions with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

At its executive committee meeting in Paris on Monday, FIFA reiterated its stance that each doping case should be dealt with individually.

WADA agrees with that, but insists on keeping the right to appeal against any decision taken on doping by FIFA, which WADA feels is too lenient.

That is the sticking point, which could prevent the agreement between FIFA, WADA and the IOC being signed at FIFA's Centennial Congress in Paris on Friday.

WADA's head Dick Pound said that no exceptions in its anti-doping code would be made for world football.

Pound was responding to FIFA's statement that it would refuse to adopt the code unless WADA signed the `cooperative agreement' that the two organisations negotiated last February.

FIFA wants to submit a special document setting out its position on the code. WADA has said it would acknowledge such a document but would not sign it.

"We cannot make exceptions for FIFA," Pound told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Paris.

"It's up to them to decide whether they want to sign the code the way it is.

"If they want clarifications or a reminder of what they understand to be the code, they are free to draw that up. But the point of a unified code is not entering into separate deals with everyone."

If the agreement fails to happen, football's place in the summer Olympics is in jeopardy.

FIFA is the only major Olympic federation along with the International Cycling Union (UCI) to have refused to sign WADA's anti-doping code because it imposes an automatic ban of two years for doping offences.

The IOC made it clear that any sports whose federations did not sign the code would not be allowed to compete in Athens.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter, IOC chief Jacques Rogge, and Pound are to meet on Friday at FIFA's Centenary Congress.

At a press conference in Paris after the executive committee meeting, Blatter said there was still time to sign the agreement.

"I cannot imagine that football will not be part of the Olympic Games in Athens this summer," said Blatter. "But if we don't reach an agreement with WADA then we will fight alone against doping," he added.

Rogge, in Lausanne to draw up a shortlist of 2012 Olympic bid cities, had no comment on the latest rift.

IOC spokeswoman Giselle Davies merely reiterated the IOC's stance. "From an IOC perspective, it's clear and straightforward.

All international federations have until the opening ceremony of the Athens Games to sign WADA's anti-doping code."

However, Davies specified that in soccer's case, FIFA would have to sign the agreement before its Olympic tournament starts on August 11, two days before the opening ceremonies. — AP

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