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Exclusive: Russia to be completely shut out of drugs-testing programme at 2018 World Cup
Russia will be completely frozen out from the drugs-testing programme at next summer’s World Cup following its state-sponsored doping scandal, Fifa’s medical chief has revealed.
The chairman of the governing body’s medical committee, Michel D’Hooghe, confirmed no-one from the host nation would have any involvement in sample collection, storage and analysis during the first major event held there since the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Declaring only Fifa medics would have access to urine and blood collected from players during the World Cup, which he said would be flown to Lausanne for testing, D’Hooghe revealed the decision had been taken in light of the ongoing scandal to engulf Russia.
He also confirmed that decision was final and would “not change” even if the Russian Anti-Doping Agency’s exile from world sport ended and Moscow’s anti-doping laboratory was fully re-accredited before next summer.
Both were sanctioned two years ago after an independent investigation uncovered an FSB-assisted sample swapping scheme at the Sochi Olympics and a cover-up that also “sabotaged” the London Games.
Discussing an anti-doping programme that will cost Fifa many tens of thousands of pounds more to administer than if it was conducted on Russian soil, D’Hooghe told Telegraph Sport: “As we go to Russia next year, and with all that happened with the rumours around doping in Russia, we have decided on the level of Fifa - and I spoke personally with the president about that - that all the doping controls from the beginning to the end will be done by Fifa doctors.
“That means the controls will be done by Fifa, the stockage will be done by Fifa. All the controls will be performed outside Russia in our classical laboratory in Lausanne.
“That means, in fact, Fifa takes the whole lead of the doping control without the intervention of Russia.”
Although it will not be the first time players’ urine and blood samples have been flown to Lausanne during the World Cup - they were in 2014 following problems with Brazil’s anti-doping laboratory - D’Hooghe said that had not previously been out of choice.
The Moscow lab was also partially reaccredited last year and drugs tests in Russia have been conducted since early 2016 with the assistance of UK Anti-Doping, meaning it would not be impossible for the same to happen next summer.
But D’Hooghe added: “We want to assure everybody that Fifa wants to do all things in a very transparent and clear way and in the most objective possible way, without the intervention of people who could be under any suspicion.”
Confirmation of the plan comes days after the emergence of explosive evidence apparently linking Vitaly Mutko, Russia’s deputy prime minister and head of its World Cup organising committee, directly with the country’s drugs scandal.
The New York Times published what it said were excerpts from the diaries of the man who orchestrated the scheme, Dr Grigory Rodchenkov, some of which allege meetings and conversations with Mutko - at that time his country’s sports minister - about the doping programme.
Mutko, who has always denied any wrongdoing, said of the story on Wednesday: “I have no time to read that right now.”
Next week will see the International Olympic Committee decide whether to throw Russia out of February’s Winter Games over the Sochi scandal.
Asked how he would feel if the country’s guilt was confirmed, D’Hooghe said: “I would be very deceived because I am a guy who’s worked for my whole life in medicine around football and part of that is the fight against doping.”
The Belgian would not be drawn on whether it was vital Fifa thoroughly investigated information in the independent report into the affair which implicated members of Russia’s 2014 World Cup squad.
But he added: “Bring me the facts and I will be very grateful.”