Football Association awaits Man City response to anti-doping charge
Friday 27 January 2017 07:53, UK
Manchester City have until 4pm on Friday afternoon to respond to a charge of breaching anti-doping rules.
The Football Association took action against City earlier this month following an alleged third violation of rules concerning 'club whereabouts' in the space of 12 months.
No specific details were given but it is understood the charge is one of misconduct relating to the club in general rather than any particular individuals.
Clubs are required to keep the FA informed of the location of their players in order to facilitate drug testing.
That includes providing the times of training sessions, home addresses of players or other addresses where the team may stay overnight.
Rules state a breach occurs "if the information contained in such reports is either initially inaccurate or has not been updated by the club as necessary to ensure it remains accurate".
A "three-strike" policy is operated, meaning a charge is only triggered after three infringements in the space of a rolling one-year period, as is the case for City in this instance.
The system mirrors the one operated for athletes by the World Anti-Doping Agency but is not directly connected to that body, which does not have provision for team sports. It therefore concerns FA rules only.
It is thought City are most likely to be fined if found guilty. They were initially given until January 19 to respond but requested additional time to consider the matter. They have so far declined to comment.
