Fifa’s priority is to protect players’ health by means of education and prevention. At a special workshop, the team physicians of the 2010 Fifa World Cup participants signed a joint declaration pledging their full support for Fifa’s anti-doping strategy, the implementation of the pre-competition medical assessment (PCMA) and “The 11+” warm-up programme to prevent injuries.

Since 2006, the Fifa PCMA has been recommended as an effective means of detecting possible underlying cardiac diseases and thus avoiding tragedies such as the death of Marc-Vivien Foe during the 2003 Fifa Confederations Cup.

Fifa will be conducting no-advance-notice out-of-competition doping tests (of both blood and urine samples) in training camps from April 10 to June 10, as well as stringent in-competition tests during the 2010 Fifa World Cup itself. The teams are required to submit their whereabouts to Fifa by March 22.

“We take the fight against doping very seriously and are committed to continuing it in full compliance with the WADA Code,” explained Professor Dvorak.

This is borne out by the facts: more than 33 000 doping controls have been conducted in football over the years, resulting in only 0.03 per cent positive cases.