Blatter against two year doping bans

FIFA president Sepp Blatter appeared to categorically rule out automatic two-year bans for first drugs offences in football.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code has not yet been adopted by FIFA, despite the two bodies agreeing a “declaration of intent” last year.

The tough two-year penalty which WADA insists upon is a key element of the code, but Blatter believes it is unworkable in football, and said as much on the second and last day of FIFA’s Annual Congress in Marrakesh, Morocco.