FA request information following allegations of cocaine use by an England player
The FA refused to comment on specific newspaper allegations
Friday 4 January 2019 22:33, UK
The Football Association is asking people to come forward with information amid newspaper allegations of cocaine use by an England international.
The FA has reiterated its tough stance on performance-enhancing and recreational drug use but has refused to comment specifically on the newspaper allegations, which on Thursday claimed an unnamed Premier League player took the drug during a pre-Christmas team event.
Anyone that wishes to present evidence of allegations of drug use have been asked to contact The FA or UK Anti-Doping (UKAD).
An FA spokesperson told Sky Sports News: "The FA operates one of the most comprehensive national anti-doping programmes in the world.
"In partnership with UK Anti-Doping, we have a targeted research and intelligence-led programme in place to identify potential doping risks in the game.
"Although incidents of doping in English football are very rare, it remains a priority for The FA to find and sanction anyone found taking performance-enhancing or recreational drugs.
"We encourage anyone with information about any anti-doping violation in football to report it to The FA, via anti-doping@thefa.com, or to UK Anti-Doping by visiting: www.reportdoping.com."
UKAD collected 5128 samples from footballers in England last season, up nearly 2000 from the previous season.
Six players tested positive for breaches of drug policy based on recreational grounds.
