Random dope testing to be a FIFA World Cup first

FIFA is planning its own version of random World Cup testing ahead of the finals in Brazil in June and July. Medical director Jiri Dvorak said in Sao Paolo on Monday: "We will not issue any prior warnings so the test visits will be a surprise. Teams need to register their locations with us and from that we will decide where we go. It's the first time we have done this."

Drug test samples will be flown to the Lausanne laboratory approved by the World Anti-Doping Agency, as Brazilian laboratory LADETEC had its accreditation withdrawn by WADA last year. According to international press association website, the ability of the world federation to step up its anti-doping programme is being progressed by the introduction of biological passports. FIFA has set the 32 finalist associations a deadline of March 1 to submit their schedule for training camps and friendly matches.

The last positive test during the finals was the notorious case of Argentina's Diego Maradona in 1994 in the United States. Dvorak added: "We want to continue without doping in the competition." During the finals, as standard, two players per squad per game will be selected randomly to be tested. Dvorak, addressing concerns about the testing time factor, said: "By using the overnight flights from Sao Paulo the samples can arrive on the morning of the next day in Switzerland. We believe that, within 48 hours of a game, we will have the test results."