Wenger demands UEFA rule change over drug cheats

LONDON: Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has demanded UEFA to change their rules on doping as he claims the current regulations don’t do enough to discourage drug cheats.
Wenger has been outspoken against doping and questioned why UEFA rulings means there is no way of disqualifying a team from continental competition unless more than two players fail a test.
His frustration has come to the fore this week as Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi was handed a four-year ban for failing a drug test after the Croatian side beat Arsenal in the Champions League in September.
Zoran Mamic’s side won by 2-1 in Zagreb and now Arsenal face them again at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday knowing they must secure a victory to stand any chance of getting out of their group.
Asked on Monday if he found the regulations strange, Wenger said: “Yes, of course.
“It’s a surprising rule. UEFA applies the rule that is planned, but I personally don’t agree with the rule,” he added.
“You cannot say that they had a doped player but the result stands. That means you basically accept doping,” said the Arsenal boss.
The Frenchman believes the rules need to be altered but admitted he did not know how much public backing he would receive after seeing UEFA’s doping team visit Arsenal’s training ground shortly after his recent comments.
“I don’t know if I would have the support of anybody, but I came out on that and as a result, we had a doping control from UEFA on Friday,” he said.
Dinamo have not been disqualified from the competition as three or more players must test positive for such a punishment to be doled out.
Zagreb coach Mamic gave a stinging response to Wenger’s call to improve testing procedures.
“Mr Wenger can think and talk about what he wants, but there are other people who make decisions about that,” said Mamic, whose side will be appealing Ademi’s ban.
“I can suggest him to write the rules for UEFA,” he added.
The loss against Dinamo in Croatia was the first of three damaging defeats in Arsenal’s first four Group F matches which have left their European hopes hanging by a thread.
Even victory on Tuesday may not be enough if Bayern Munich fail to beat Olympiakos in Germany.