The British FA is likely to enforce a strict penalty for doping on Adrian Mutu of Chelsea after the Romanian striker tested positive for a banned substance, rumoured to be cocaine.
Should taking cocaine, a recreational drug, qualify as a doping violation? Can taking cocaine be seen as something that would enhance a footballer's performance?
Doesn't taking cocaine have the opposite effect? Isn't it abuse of an illegal substance despite the knowledge that it will lead to deteriorated performance? Cocaine is a performance deterioration drug. Vitamin C, or a good night's sleep, has more relevance to performance enhancement.
Here's my thinking. Abuse for recreational purposes of illegal substances, unlike use for performance enhancement purposes of substances that are legal but prohibited in a sport's regulations, is primarily a criminal offense. When traces of illegal substances not linked to performance enhancement are found in a random FA drug test, the case should be passed on to the police or public prosecutors for investigation.
Of course, the FA can and should take additional action itself. In this case, it should punish Mutu severely for bringing the game into disrepute, not for breach of the sport's regulations on performance enhancement.
Recreational drug abuse, though a serious offence for a professional footballer with a responsibility to be a role model for young children, has nothing to do with doping.
Posted by Setsunai at October 19, 2004 2:04 PM | TrackBackI'm not so sure that cocaine isn't performance enhancing. In terms of stamina and endurance it could be a benefit, but I could be mistaken. I don't know enough about it's effects.
Posted by: Roland at October 19, 2004 3:25 PM | Permalink to CommentWe both know Mutu wasn't taking cocaine to enhance his performance on the football pitch. But you may have an arguable point there about stamina and endurance being enhanced by cocaine if it were taken for that purpose. I think, though, that the timing of when he took it (and I'm sure he didn't take it right before a game) will prove it wasn't taken for performance enhancement purposes. The endurance enhancing effects of cocaine are pretty instantaneous and short-lived, so if it wasn't taken right before a game it wasn't taken to enhance performance in that game.
Posted by: Setsunai at October 19, 2004 4:01 PM | Permalink to CommentI'm interested to know the procedure for dope testing in football. Is it random? Before games? During training? Ive never really come across much about it in football.
Posted by: Roland at October 19, 2004 4:49 PM | Permalink to Comment