Arsenal suffer shock training ground drugs swoop as Arsene Wenger blasts UEFA rules

Arsene Wenger criticised the current drug testing regulations

ARSENE WENGER suffered the consequences for demanding a UEFA crackdown on drugs after 10 enforcement officers swooped on Arsenal's training ground - and he criticised current regulations further saying they "basically accept doping".

 

As the Gunners face a do or die Champions League clash against Dinamo Zagreb tonight, Wenger feels hard done by that, even though Zagreb player Arijan Adem was banned for four years after failing a drugs test after September's shock 2-1 win, the result is still allowed to stand.

And days after complaining last week, preparations for Saturday's Premier League match against West Brom were interrupted when a 10 doping officers descended on the club's London Colney training centre for what Wenger described as an unprecedented out-of-competition random drugs testing swoop.

Arsenal subsequently lost the game 2-1 and Wenger admits he now needs to be more careful when he complains about the football authorities failing to take the drug situation seriously enough.

 

"I said that before that I want better controls - and we got better controls straight away," added Wenger. "We had 10 people on Friday to control us. I don't remember we have been controlled before. We have nothing against it."

Wenger is frustrated that the Zagreb win be allowed to stand because UEFA rules only call for a result to be questioned if two or more players are found guilty of drug-taking.

"It doesn't look logical, especially if you control [test] only three players," he said. "It's a surprising rule. UEFA applies the rule that is planned but I personally don't agree with the rule. You cannot say that they had a doped player but the result stands. That means you basically accept doping."

 

Wenger is frustrated the result against Dinamo Zagreb will be allowed to stand

Wenger believes doping is a "major issue" and fears the recent athletics scandal threatens to spill over.

"I called for more blood checks. That's a major issue," he said. "You look at the psychological tests that have been done for 20 years and the temptation is natural.

"When a guy is second - and I am speaking more about track and field - there is only room for the hero, that means the winner. The second nobody cares about.

"So when he sees he arrives second and the first cheats, he thinks, 'what have I to do'? The temptation is there, of course."