Doping in sports and the popular culprits in football

Doping in sports is a huge crime as it damages its credibility, and athletes are viewed to have committed an offense when they test positive for illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PED).

What is doping ?

According to Merriam Webster defines doping as the use of a substance (such as an anabolic steroid or erythropoietin) or technique (such as blood doping) to illegally improve athletic performance.

In sports, such action is regarded as cheat, and grave consequences always come with it.

Not only that, but on the players' part and their safety, as in the long run, such substances have a long-lasting side effect on the health of the players.

Why do athletes dope (take illegal performance-enhancing drugs (PED)) ?

There are several reasons take illegal performance-enhancing drugs, and it also depends on the type of sports the athletes in question do. The majority of the reasons is to boost performance.

Athletes are also tempted when injured and do not have enough time to recover before an upcoming sports event. Soccer players and athletes in other sports field are more prominent culprits.

To increase the size of muscles, reduce body fat to increase the overall performance of the body, and keep shape for the required sport task.

Doping also increases endurance, and this type of doping is mostly attached to track athletes, i.e., runners, jumpers, triple jumpers, and others.

Doping reduces injury risks, and this is one other important reason it is difficult to really get some athletes from deviating from it.

Forms of doping in Sports

1. Steroid 

Developed in the 1930’s, a simple definition is any anabolic substance taken in in an effort to promote muscle growth or athletic performance.

Steroid is a man-made hormone, a powerful doping drug that is chemically related to testosterone, a sex hormone. The initial purpose for the creation of a steroid is to help fight diseases in the human body.

Steroid does this by creating more of the hormone (testosterone) in the body, thereby combating pain, swelling, and tiredness. It also enhances performances during sex.

In a situation it is used for doping, it plays an essential role in a wide range of physiological functions, including growth, development, energy metabolism, homeostasis, and reproduction.

• It helps increase the muscle mass

• It athletes more disease resistance

• It gives the agility to withstand injuries

• It also aids quick recovery from injuries

• It helps fasten the healing of wounds

Common examples of steroid drugs include :

• Betamethasone

• Hydrocortisone

• Dexamethasone

• Prednisolone

Steroid drugs do not have a significant effect if usage is not prolonged for more than three weeks (also depending on the body), but otherwise, the consequences can be very detrimental.

Suicidal thought is one of the side effects aside from the fact that it predispose one to infections and other diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, indigestion, and vomiting. And many others.

2. Stimulants

 Stimulants are substances that act to increase physiological or nervous activity in the body.

They are taken by athletes to enhance performance, and they do so by acting on the central nervous system to reduce tiredness and fatigue and increase alertness, competitiveness, and aggressiveness.

Common stimulants taken for doping:

• Ephedrine.

• Mephedrone

• Amphetamine

• Cocaine

• Methylphenidate

• MDMA

• Caffeine

• MDPV

• Methamphetamine

Side effects of stimulant is closely related to those mentioned for steroid. It leads to depression and loss of interest.

The effects are the direct opposite of what they used for.

3. Narcotics

Narcotic is a general name for any substance or drug that reduces pain, induces sleep and may alter behaviour; in some contexts, especially in reference to the opiates-and-opioids class, especially in reference to illegal drugs, and often both.

They are types of drugs used for doping in sports. They can be used in different forms, one of them being swalled, just as tablets and / or capsules.

Narcotics can also be injected into the muscles or bloodstream of athletes through the use of needles, and the main aim of taking this is to reduce pain and eliminate the effect of fatigue.

They enhance performance but also lead to quick wearing of the athletes and, if not control, leads to early retirement because of diminished performance, diseases, and untimely death.

Examples of narcotics include pharmaceutical drugs like codeine, OxyContin, Vicodin, morphine, methadone, and fentanyl.

These drugs do have their side effects even when taken aside from those in the long-term. They cause nausea and vomiting. They also decrease heart rate.

4. Blood doping 

Blood doping is known as the practice of misusing certain techniques and substances to increase the number of circulating red blood cells (and hemoglobin mass) in the body.

This is carried out by withdrawing blood from the body and allowing the body to replenish before adding back the withdrawn blood.

It is aimed at artificially boosting the blood's ability to bring more oxygen to muscles and, in return, increase the amount of hemoglobin (oxygenated blood) in the bloodstream.

Blood doping has three commonly used types which are :

• blood transfusions

• injections of erythropoietin (EPO)

• injections of synthetic oxygen carriers

Blood doping, like other doping types, increases the performance of athletes and also reduces physiologic strain that athletes might have been put through during the period of performance.

Can players subconsciously take PED ?

Yes. It is possible that football players unknowingly take substances that are considered performance enhancing. Hence, athletes have to take more care and be more aware of what they take in.

Penalties for doping in Sports

All sports condemn doping, but each sport has its own way of disciplining perpetrators.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), found by the International Olympic Committee based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, is the organization that promotes, coordinates, and monitors the fight against doping in sports.

Doping in the American National Football League

Doping tests have never been conducted on players of the American National Football League because the players do not participate in international sporting events.

The players always resist the move whenever it is brought up. However, in 2011, it was proposed that WADA will be allowed to conduct tests on the players to determine of their bloods carry human growth hormone HGH.

Unfortunately, there was no green light from the players' Union and in September 2013, the players finally have their way as WADA finally gave up, because the consequences is more on individuals as THE NFL players do not take part in international sporting events.

Doping in soccer (football)

Football is the last Olympics game to sign up with the World Anti-Doping Agency because it is more difficult to deal with, unlike in individual sports. Ahead of the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, it was adopted by football governing body FIFA.

The minimum penalty applied at the time was a two-year ban from football related activities. However, there are scenarios where justice is tempered with mercy.

In a situation where a player is able to prove that they had taken the drug with no intention of enhancing performances or for other illegal uses, as stated earlier in this article, then sanction can be reduced.

If a player fails the doping test twice, then it will attract a lifetime ban from the sport.

For UEFA, it had embraced it since 1955, when confederation competitions were introduced in the continent of Europe.

However, it only applied for final matches and was never used in any other rounds of any of her competitions at the time until 1987, when it became compulsory for every round of competitions.

Players to have failed doping test

Argentine great, late Diego Armando Maradona was one of the most famous sports people to be banned for failing a doping test for using cocaine in the 1990-91 Serie A season.

The former Napoli star was again banned three years later, during the FIFA World Cup in the United States in 1994, for the use of a performance-enhancing drug named Ephedrine.

Other notable players have failed doping tests and penalties faced

Pep Guardiola

Edgar Davids

Jaap Stam

Abel Xavier

Adrian Mutu

Frank de Boer

Kolo Toure

Andre Onana 

Mark Bosnich

Samir Nasri

Paul Pogba

Pep Guardiola

The now Manchester City manager was banned for four months for taking a performance-enhancing substance named Nandrolone, a type of anabolic steroid.

It was during his time with Italian side Brescia, which was considered unsuccessful. He was, however, cleared of all charges in 2007 and again finally cleared in 2009, after CONI reopened the case in what it called absolution unacceptable.

Edgar Davids and Jaap Stam

The two players were some of the several players to fail doping tests in the Serie A in 2001.

Davids was found out for taking Nandrolone. The Dutchman failed another test a few months later, this time for anabolic steroids norandrosterone and noretiocolanolone in the wake of Juventus’s match against Udinese on the 4th of March.

It was proposed to hand him a 16-month ban, but luckily, he was only out for four months.

Stam was handed a five month ban for testing positive for Nandrolone in October of the same year while with Lazio.

Abel Xavier

Former Portugal International Abel Xavier got himself into huge troubles in September 2005 after testing positive for anabolic steroid dianabol.

The news came a few months after completing a free transfer to Middlesborough after the end of his time with Hannover 96 in Germany and AS Roma in Italy.

Xavier, who then became the first player to be find out for performance-enhancing drugs in the Premier League, explained that the substance came from an anti-virus medicine that he had imported from the United States

Adrian Mutu 

Having completed a big move to Premier League side Chelsea on the back of a successful spell with Parma in 2003, Adrian Mutu had a time to forget in London and one of it was being slapped with a seven month ban for doping.

The Romanian tested positive for using cocaine in 2005, and that further deteriorated his poor relationship with the then Chelsea manager, Jose Mourinho.

Frank de Boer

Unfortunately, the Dutchman finds himself on the list, having reportedly unknowingly ingesting Nandrolone by taking contaminated food supplements in 2001.

After the fact was established, a one-year ban was reduced to eleven months, and the then Barcelona defender was able to return earlier than expected.

Kolo Toure 

During his time at Manchester City, Ivorian defender, now retired, Kolo Toure was handed a six month ban by the World Anti-Doping Agency for testing positive for banned substance in 2009.

The suspension became effective in March 2011. Toure claimed that he mistakenly took the sustenance when taking water tablets meant for weight shift that belonged to his wife.

Samir Nasri

Former Arsenal and Manchester City attacking midfielder Samir Nasri was handed six month ban while spending time on loan with Spanish side, Sevilla.

On loan from City, the Frechman was found out for using banned substances at a Los Angeles clinic, Drip Doctors, where he visited “to help keep him hydrated and in top health during his busy soccer season.” 

Mark Bosnich

The only Goalkeeper on our list, Bosnich confessed to having cocaine addiction, claiming that much of the addiction was due to his relationship with British model Sophie Anderton, as for every line of cocaine she had, he had to have one too when both were going out.

However, a spiked drink while partying at a nightclub was the reason he failed the doping test in 2002 while with Chelsea, and he was handed a nine month ban.

Andre Onana

Now Manchester United Goalkeeper, Andre Onana, served a 12 month ban for testing positive for prohibited substance, Furosemide in 2021 while in the books at Ajax.

Onana and his representatives explained that it was from his pregnant wife's medicines that he came in contact with it, but it would change nothing as he spent the following one year off football or related activities.

Paul Pogba 

Though judgment hasn't been passed, Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba is temporarily suspended for testing positive for testosterone in the wake of the club's 3-0 win over Udinese in August.

The Frechman has battled with injuries since re-joining the Italian side as a free agent after leaving Manchester United in 2022.

Conclusion

Doping is a serious topic in sports, and the World Anti-Doping Agency is very harsh on any athlete found guilty. It is advised that athletes do away with drugs for their own health benefits and integrity of the games.

Hassan Afolabi