6/23/18
FIFA refused to act on significant evidence of widespread doping in Russia soccer, according to a new investigative report from the Mail on Sunday that reinforces past reports of similar failures. Soccer’s global governing body – which has, over the past two decades, been one of the most corrupt in sports – was aware of what the Mail calls “documentary proof of institutional cover-ups” 18 months before the start of the 2018 World Cup in Russia. The Mail had previously reported that all 23 members of Russia’s 2014 World Cup squad were among dozens of players under investigation. FIFA, though, was reportedly slow to seek evidence. And last month it cleared all 28 members of Russia’s 2018 preliminary squad, citing “insufficient evidence.” A week earlier, however, a 29th player had been removed from the squad. His name is Ruslan Kambolov. And his case is crucial. Kambolov, according to the Mail investigation, failed a drug test in 2015. Two weeks later, his urine sample was swapped out for a clean one, and he was never punished. The Mail details the scheme in depth, citing various documents and other evidence. Kambolov, meanwhile, was originally on Russia’s 28-man provisional roster for the 2018 World Cup. A week before FIFA announced it had cleared the entire squad of doping, though, Kambolov withdrew with a mysterious “injury.” But why was he really replaced? “You have to draw your own conclusions,” McLaren told the Mail. “But it seems clear to me.”
Why hasn’t FIFA acted? Well, there’s the not-so-small matter of its banner event, which is currently being held in the country that sponsored all this doping. That event is FIFA’s main source of revenue. FIFA’s main incentive, therefore, is to ensure the 2018 World Cup goes on without incident or controversy. In other words, as former WADA chief Dick Pound told the Mail, the reason is “obvious.” FIFA, as Pound said, has “the matter of billions of dollars at stake in having a hassle-free World Cup.” Investigators told the Mail that the 155 doping cases they found were only the “tip of the iceberg,” and thought the “paperwork, testimony and other corroboration” associated with 34 of the 155 would be sufficient for FIFA. And maybe it eventually will be sufficient. Maybe FIFA will eventually act. But FIFA was never going to act before the 2018 World Cup. Russia’s soccer federation, its sports ministry, and Vitaly Mutko – the former Russian minister of sport who has been deeply involved in soccer, and who was banned for life by the International Olympic Committee for his complicity in the doping scheme – also declined comment to the Mail.
