Doping in Football

This article is based on a talk I had with my girlfriend the other day about the routine of her job. Being a pharmacist, she always feels the need to inform me on the lastest medical products that appear on the pharmaceutical market, although my lack of interest regarding this subject is more than obvious. But this time she actually made me think about the use of performance enhancers among the football players. She asked me if I knew some cases in which the players used drugs in order to improve their physical condition and whether I could tell her some exemples of these doping substances.

Surely, the first player that popped in my mind was Diego Maradona. It is well known that during the 1994 World Cup, after Argentina’s second match against Nigeria, Diego had tested positive for the banned substance: ephedrine. Ephedrine is a sympathomimetic amine commonly used as a stimulant, appetite suppressant, recommended to treat hypotension associated with anaesthesia. No wonder Maradona shoked the world with his fantastic shape at the begging of the World Cup. As a result, he was banned for 18 months and never played international football again.

Jaap Stam is another football player involved in a doping scandal while he was playing for Lazio in Serie A (2001). Apparently, he had been taking nandrolone, a steroid also known as Deca-Durabolin, although he never admitted it was a self-concious act. Nandrolone decanoate is indicated for the management of the anemia of renal insufficiency and has been shown to increase hemoglobin and red cell mass.

Abel Xavier was the first Premiership player to test positive for dianabol, a steroid known for building muscle mass (Middlesbrough, 2005). He was banned for 18 months, which later reduced to 12 months. Xavier claims he was innocent and has never taken this performance enhancer.

Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United, 2003) forgot to go to a drug test, although most institutions refer to this as a failed test. Apparently, the player was too busy moving out and offered to take the test later in the day. Well, his excuse turned out to be totally useless, knowing the fact that these tests are taken by surprise in order to prevent players from ingesting antidotes or other substances that might alter the results. He was banned for 8 months and fined 50.000 £, but made a huge comeback.

Now, after reading all these facts about doping among players, I’ve come across some more interesting facts. Apparently, English football players are tested mostly after matches. But while athletics, weightlifting, swimming, rugby allow out-of-competition testing, football does not. This implies the fact that football players aren’t tested when they’re away from their clubs. So a player might just as well take some cocaine during the weekend and be tested on Monday morning without a trace of his action (it is known that cocaine leaves the body within 24 hours). Now I wonder how Romanian Adrian Mutu was caught using cocaine while he was playing for Chelsea. Maybe he had the feeling time was dilating.

Moreover, some Sport's Independent Sampling Officers sustain that the clubs know in advance when they are coming and thus keep the suspect players off training so their names don’t appear on the list they are given. I can't help but wonder if this is the reason why football is considered one of the cleanest sport and whether it has something to do with this anti-doping policy.

Picture by epsos.

Is Becks a Hex?

Okay, the entire sporting world was tired of hearing about David Beckham before he was sold to the United States’ MLS Galaxy squad in 2007. Since then, the aging star has basically faded into football oblivion everywhere outside of tabloid land.

Beckham was attempting to make huge headlines by becoming the only footballer Englishman in history to appear in four World Cups. The 35-year-old Beckster isn’t a spring chicken, but America’s football (soccer) isn’t exactly as competitive as the rest of the world’s football.

This is why Beckham went on loan to AC Milan in January of both 2009 and 2010. He wanted to prove to English Three Lions coach Fabio Capello that he could keep pace with the faster, younger and skillful stars. However, that dream was crushed when Becks tore his Achilles’ tendon in a Serie A match against Chievo Verona.

Still injured and out for the entire World Cup, even if England makes the final, Beckham is still currently in South Africa, planning on attending his country’s game via the sidelines and even “helping out” with scouting and coaching decisions.

Forget what you think about Beckham and ask yourself if this is the right move for the English team. It’s great of Beckham to make the trek, but he’s still not playing – he’s not technically on the team. How many of you would like to sit on the sidelines but won’t get the opportunity?

Has David earned the right to mix it up with the players out there and actually act as a coach?

Beckham means well. He really does. And although he’s never been the best footballer out there, he has consistently tried to be. But everywhere he goes it ends up being a side show.

England and the United States have played a historic match (1-1). These two countries rarely meet but are bitter rivals when out on the field. Beckham’s presence could have very well been conflicting. And it could have been quite helpful, as he has intimate knowledge of a few players on America’s side having played with them.

Maybe Beckham would better serve his team if the dimming star stayed indoors and played casino games online while the footballers balled, but that’s certainly not his style.

It will be interesting to see what’s made of Beckham’s looming presence, win or lose. Will he be given credit, much like a double agent, if England wins? Will he bear some of blame’s brunt if the US wins? Is Posh Spice in the locker room?

These important questions will be answered in time.

How Big is a Football?

Not many know details about the center of the game, the ball. Here are some details:

A little background:
- the ball used to be inflated pigs bladder but Columbus discovered the rubber ball in his explorations of America
- some pictures with a lot of antique balls http://www.asdiansi.com/anball.htm

Shape, size, weight, pressure, material:
- sphere
- circumference of 68–70 cm (or 27–28 inches)
- 410–450 (or 14–16 ounces)
- 8–12 psi
- leather (not really used anymore), other new materials.

Here is the official ball for the EURO 2008 from last year. As you can see the 32 patches in black and white that were the symbol of football are gone.

The future will bring us microchips in balls so that we will know when the ball has passed a line in the game and the referee doesn't really stand a chance in being accurate.

A major problem today is the exploitation of children in some poor countries for ball production but let's hope that will soon disappear.

Here are the official rules from FIFA regarding the ball:

Decisions of the International F.A. Board

Decision 1
In addition to the requirements of Law 2, acceptance of a ball for
use in matches played in an official competition organized under the
auspices of FIFA or the confederations is conditional upon the ball
bearing one of the following:
• the official “FIFA APPROVED” logo
• the official “FIFA INSPECTED” logo
• the “INTERNATIONAL MATCHBALL STANDARD” logo
Such a logo on a ball indicates that it has been tested officially and
found to be in compliance with specific technical requirements,
different for each logo and additional to the minimum specifications
stipulated in Law 2. The list of the additional requirements specific to
each of the respective logos must be approved by the International
F.A. Board. The institutes conducting the tests are subject to the
approval of FIFA.
Member association competitions may also require the use of balls
bearing any one of these three logos.

Decision 2
In matches played in an official competition organized under the
auspices of FIFA, the confederations or the member associations,
no form of commercial advertising on the ball is permitted, except
for the emblem of the competition, the competition organizer and
the authorized trademark of the manufacturer. The competition
regulations may restrict the size and number of such markings.

Old School Joga Bonito

Do you think the Joga Bonito clips presented by Eric Cantona, with all the tricks and magic done by the players are something new?

Well, think again!