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| Fifa refutes Ahly doping claims |
1/18/2007 |
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Football''s world governing body Fifa has clarified comments made by president Sepp Blatter that two Ahly players failed dope tests during their Champions League triumph.
Fifa has made a statement which says there is no evidence of doping by two Egyptian players last year.
"Fifa ... (is) keen to dispel the rumour currently circulating that two players from Ahly failed doping tests after the 2006 Champions League final," the statement read.
"As soon as this allegation was reported to Fifa in early January 2007, word football''s governing body took appropriate measures to verify its authenticity."
Fifa checked with its Sports Medical Committee, where no evidence of the doping was found.
The Confederation of African Football (Caf) was then asked for information and the African ruling body informed Fifa ''that all the doping tests carried out after each leg of the 2006 Champions League final ... had been negative''.
There were twelve tests in total, with three players at each club providing samples after both legs of the final.
Officials at Ahly, whose team won its fifth African crown when beating Tunisia''s CS Sfaxien, have been infuriated by comments attributed to Fifa chief Blatter in Paris last week.
"This is rubbish," said Ahly football manager Hossam El Badri.
"We are shocked that such statements could come from the highest power of football world without any justification."
On Friday, Blatter allegedly told reporters at the new headquarters of the French football federation that information had come to light about two positive tests in the Ahly camp after a Champions League tie.
"We requested immediate information about this subject. We must intervene," followed up the Fifa boss.
Ahly won their second straight African Champions League title when beating Sfaxien 2-1 on aggregate in November.
In an earlier round, Ahly''s Amr Samaka was suspended after testing positive for using a prohibited substance in the Champions League tie against Algeria''s JS Kabylie.
The Fifa president''s comments triggered widespread reactions at Sfaxien, who alleged that two Ahly players tested positive for drugs after the second leg of the final in Rades.
In a statement on their official website, the Sfax-based club said they discovered the incidents one week after the final but could not reveal them for lack of evidence.
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