Cycling: At least since the Festina scandal in 1998, cycling has been under general suspicion in terms of doping. In a conversation with no cycling fan, the term doping is often used in the first sentence. But when it comes to football, this topic hardly plays a role. Is it true that doping is useless in football and that cycling is totally doping-infested? We would like to use the figures from the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to clear up these prejudices - so that you have arguments ready for the next discussion.
Cycling has a doping problem – but so do other sports
Festina, Fuentes, Armstrong - and now too froome Cycling has suffered a number of setbacks over the past 20 years. There is no doubt that this sport has a doping problem. But if we follow the leading media, we almost automatically assume that doping only exists in cycling. Is that the truth or does cycling just have to be the scapegoat?
Public opinion and the serious consequences for cycling
Many cycling fans know the situation: You are talking to an acquaintance or a complete stranger. At some point the conversation develops and the term cycling comes up. Unless you happen to be sitting across from another cycling fan, you will usually be confronted with the topic of doping in the first sentence. Understandable, because if you, as a non-cycling fan, hear something about this sport from the media, it is often a case of a doping scandal. Since there is no further interest, it stays with this superficial information and voila: the prejudice and the general suspicion are perfect. Not only the cycling fans suffer from this, but above all the riders themselves, as well as the entire industry due to the absence of potential sponsors. The consequences are serious: teams are dissolved, drivers end their careers and entire tours can no longer be held.
Doping is useless in football? A fairy tale!
There is no doubt that a professional cyclist can improve his performance with the appropriate substances. That doping substances are only useful in endurance sports, however, is a long-disproved fairy tale. Only this week DFB doctor Tim Meyer Mentioned again that he believes in doping in football: "You shouldn't be naive. Of course there is also doping somewhere in football. From my point of view, it is clear that doping would do something in football.” Clear words from a person working in football. He contradicts publicly known sizes, such as Bayern Doc Hans-Wilhelm Müller-Wohlfahrt and coach Jürgen Klopp. Both have expressed negative opinions on several occasions. Doping would do nothing in football. A theory that has long since been refuted. In addition to the performance-enhancing effect in terms of endurance, speed and strength, doping substances also have a positive effect on regeneration and rehabilitation.
Media, fans and associations: The difference lies in how doping is dealt with
In football, the doping issue is still not taken seriously, although various examples are known. In the 80s, for example, an organized doping program was carried out at VfB Stuttgart and SC Freiburg. In the 90s, the Juventus Turin team doctor provided his players with various products. Zinedine Zidane confessed to taking creatine. super trainer Pep Guardiola tested positive for the doping agent nandrolone during his playing days. Not to mention the many doping scandals, because the big Fuentes scandal was far from just about cycling. On the contrary: Eufemiano Fuentes confirmed that the majority of his clients were active in other sports. The trail led loudly "Le Monde" to FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Betis Sevilla and FC Valencia. But as is so often the case, the trail went nowhere. Probably because nobody is interested in a doping scandal in football - neither fans, nor players, clubs, associations and sponsors.
Better doping controls ensure more positive tests
While investigators and the media follow doping traces in cycling much more intensively, the controls themselves are also better structured. In 2007, the World Cycling Federation launched the Biological Passport. He can track each driver's stats using urine and blood tests. Football refuses to consistently carry out such a blood pass, as only every fourth test has been recorded to date. Up until a few years ago, there were no blood tests at all. Furthermore, international doping hunters follow the professional cyclists. They have to report their whereabouts almost every hour. It is not uncommon for the doping hunters to stop by unannounced. If the DFB has an "unannounced" test (e.g. in the training camp before the World Cup), then this extremely rare measure is celebrated on all social media. A farce, because the tests are carried out by FIFA at a World Cup and by UEFA itself at a European Championship.
A professional cyclist can expect significantly more doping tests
In 2016, WADA in football 33.227 Tests conducted, of which only 8.049 were out-of-competition controls. As this is a global number and there are well over 100.000 professional soccer players, this is an extremely small number of samples. For comparison: In the much smaller cycling scene, the pros had to 23.132 give their blood or urine, 9.467 of them unannounced. The difference becomes even greater if we only look at the numbers in Germany. If a football player from the first, second or third Bundesliga is not traveling internationally, only the National Doping Agency (NADA) will check him. NADA conducted a total of 2.124 tests in soccer Germany in 2016, only 657 of them outside of the matches. Many players don't have to fear a test for the whole year.
In cycling, on the other hand, NADA asked for tests in Germany 1.001 times, 503 times alone unannounced. If we now consider that the pros travel internationally most of the time, we see that the riders give in numerous rehearsals over the course of a year. For example, an unbelievable 656 doping tests were carried out during the three-week Tour de France 2015 - with only 198 participants. By way of comparison, during the 2016 European Championships in France, UEFA checked fewer than 500 tests, although more than 500 players were present. The quota for games in the Europa League and the Champions League is even lower.
In cycling there is a below-average number of positive tests
In addition to the number of tests, it is crucial how many of them are classified as positive. Overall, 2016 was cross-sport 1,602 percent of tests positive. Since cycling at a value of 1,089 percent, we can even speak of a significantly below-average abnormality. The football has a percentage of 0,506 up, which means that there are half as many positive tests as in cycling. Especially in less developed countries, there are a large number of positive tests. The reasons for this are obvious: on the one hand, those affected are less well informed about the methods used by the doping hunters and, on the other hand, they have significantly less money at their disposal. All in all, we can see from WADA's annual reports that doping occurs in almost all sports. But not every sport actually fights against it intensively. In this respect, cycling is an absolute pioneer. But the more money there is in the associations, the less public discussion about doping seems to be sought.
The most important facts & figures from WADA from 2016 at a glance
- 33.227 tests were carried out in football and 23.132 in cycling.
- 8.049 checks in football out of competition, 9.467 in cycling.
- In Germany, NADA took 2.124 samples in football and 1.001 in cycling.
- Since there are significantly more soccer professionals than cyclists, some soccer players are not checked at all and cyclists are checked umpteen times within twelve months.
- During the three-week Tour de France 2015 alone, a total of 198 tests were taken from the 656 participants.
- The world football association FIFA carried out only 870 doping controls throughout the year.
- Across all sports, the value of positive tests is 1,602 percent, in football 0,506 percent and in cycling 1,089 percent.
- Since cycling has a value of 1,089 percent, we can even speak of a significantly below-average abnormality.
veldrijer says
If you were inclined to conspiracy theories, you could get the idea that cycling = doping reporting by the "leading media" follows a calculation. As long as cycling is practically dead in this country, you don't have to worry about closed roads, permits, angry drivers, etc. And what is even better, no child / young person / club comes up with the idea of taking up space in public space for training and wanting to take away this dad's / mum's car.
Then rather build the 100th Pöhlerplatz in town.