BAN SCARE FOR PLE TEAMS

MBABANE – Dawn of a new era.

Some energy drinks are no longer allowed as football authorities fight substance abuse. Latest developments suggest that all Premier League teams will be subject to random doping tests. It is worth noting that earlier, only the national team players were tested. There is a new twist seeking to ensure players refrain from engaging in unhealthy lifestyles. This action was decided upon during the ongoing Eswatini Football Association (EFA) and Premier League of Eswatini (PLE) Administrative Course, set to end tomorrow. Substances that are banned for players include dagga, alcohol, drugs and energy drinks sold in shops and used daily. It is said that players found positive will be banned from practising competitive football at that instant, with the minimum ban being four years for first-time offenders.

doping

It is worth noting that the Sports Bill currently waiting to be passed in Parliament comes with laws regulating doping. Research reveals that drugs such as marijuana or dagga stay for a long period in the urine and blood, depending on the intake. The substance can show up for about 30 days or longer in daily smokers, as per Desert Hope Treatment Centre website. Eswatini Olympic and Commonwealth Games will handle the testing. Meanwhile, the facility where tests will be conducted is almost done and staff have been employed. Reports suggest that for now, blood or urine samples will be taken to a laboratory in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It is said that the test will be done randomly on two players per team.

warning

Club officials reportedly tried in vain to plead with EFA to first issue a warning or visit teams, as a means of educating players about doping and give them time to adjust to the new developments. Instead, officials were told to start engaging players at club level and warn them against using banned substances. Banning of football players is not new as France and Italian side Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba was slapped with a four-year ban for doping, after he tested positive for a banned substance. This banned substance is known for naturally raising levels of testosterone. Efforts to get a comment from EFA Chief Executive Officer Frederick Mngomezulu were fruitless, as he had not responded to text messages sent to his phone by 6pm yesterday.

Among other questions, this publication wanted him to respond to the following:
* What is the position of the country on doping?
* What is EFA doing? Can we expect doping tests anytime soon in the country?
* Who will administer them? How will it be done?
* Do we have a laboratory in the country to conduct them?
* What does this mean for the Premier League?
* What would happen if a majority of teams or players test positive?

On the other hand, when sought for comment, PLE Chairman Mark Carmichael said: “I’m confident that EFA will shed more light about this topic as FIFA is the regulator.”
(Additional information by Ashmond Nzima)

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