Part of a series on |
Doping in sport |
---|
![]() ![]() |
The use of performance-enhancing drugs in association football occurred over many decades since the 1940s at least. The high amount of money and media attention in this sport causes a lot of pressure, especially for the managers, which is the reason why there are also cases of unusual drug use like cocaine. A famous example is the case of Diego Maradona and his ban from 1990-91 Serie A by using cocaine during a match. Maradona was banned again three years later for using ephedrine during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
Incidence of the use of performance-enhancing drugs ("doping") in football seems to be lower than in other sports. However, this could also be explained by the low amount of unannounced drug testing. There were also no further investigations or consequences in the Operación Puerto doping case or other revelations. So, much closer collaboration, improved testing and further investigation seems needed with regard to banned substances, detection methods, and data collection worldwide.[1]