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.

“Under common law you cannot just have a system that says two years or, for that matter, 10 years. Every individual has the basic right to be judged according to the gravity of the offence committed,” he said.

Blatter insisted football was doing all it could to eradicate doping, citing the fact that it is testing more players than any other sport.

In recent months, WADA chairman Dick Pound has constantly expressed his frustration with FIFA for allegedly dragging their feet.

But in a veiled attack on Pound, Blatter told delegates at the 205-nation Congress: “How would you feel if your president was treated like a man who is not taking the fight against doping seriously? We are doing all we can, we cannot do any more.”

In an attempt to further align itself with WADA’s position, FIFA agreed to drop its automatic minimum six-month ban for first offenders, changing their statutes accordingly.

And for the first time, it gave WADA permission to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport if it disagreed with the length of any penalties FIFA imposes in the future.

Blatter also repeated his plea to Europe’s major clubs to stop overloading their squads with foreign signings and give more home-grown players a chance.

He insisted the situation had become so farcical that players were no longer communicating with each other because of so many diverse languages and cultures.

“We are seeing a loss of local, regional and national identity,” said Blatter.