TV Review: Dispatches: The Truth About Drugs In Football
As much as I admire Dispatches honesty it was a huge let down and didn’t really confirm anything I hadn’t long since suspected anyway.
What a night. More shock and awe at another eye opening show on the telebox. Channel 4s Dispatches lifted the lid on the extent of shocking cover ups by clubs, managers and the FA as to what professional footballers have failed drug tests since 2002. The show boasting that they have the list of names with who failed what and when. Big shocks in store maybe? Apparently failing a drugs test in professional football is a common thing. The show explains that Kolo Toure failing a drugs test was apparently because he had a condition that made him hate his own body. So, he took his wifes dieting pills to lose weight. However, it is also claimed that the same drugs can be used to hide other drugs in the body and its inconclusive as to the truth behind Toures drug taking. Gary OConnor when at Birmingham apparently also failed a drugs test and his name was kept out of the headlines. Birmingham manager Alec McLeish even told reporters at a press conference that OConnor had an injury. McLeish and OConnor apparently declined the opportunity to comment. Fulham were apparently another club who had a player fail a drugs test and a further 9 names on the documents state that more names have been kept quiet at clubs like Tranmere, Crewe, Notts Forest and Everton. Some players have even failed multiple tests. Leon Knight, who played at Chelsea and then went onto play at 12 other clubs, was one of the only players to go on camera and say that loads of footballers are doing cocaine and there is a real problem in the sport. He says that its cool and brings girls around so the players think its cool to do. Knight goes on to state that several players he played with at one club were out one night sniffing the drug and when the testers turned up at the club the next morning one decided he wasnt hanging around, left training and phoned in sick. Apparently also the FA gives soft punishments to players caught. The FA argue that if players arent caught on the match day they shouldnt get he usual 2 year ban as its classed as out of competition testing. One player still got caught on a match day and only got 7 months. Ex-Millwall player Richard Sadlier claims the club was giving him body-enhancing drugs. He says that the manager even asked him one day if he had been taking anything he shouldnt have, which he laughed off saying that he was just taking what he was given. There were also claims that Chelsea whilst under the management of Claudio Ranieri used controversial techniques to help their players fitness, which included a drip containing iron. An expert insists this is dangerous, but it doesnt mean much to me in all honesty. Lets be honest, with footballers being young, rich, arrogant and cool theres a very good chance that they are going to be doing cocaine. Its the in social drug and huge amounts of people are doing it on nights out the length and breadth of the country. Footballers doing cocaine is something that people think they know and would bet on it happening, but theres never been any evidence. Until now, supposedly. Although the sheer number of tests missed or failed is shocking there were no big names on the list that would really shock people. Not even big clubs really. No huge shocks to rock the nation. And that will surely have an effect on how big a shock it has on the sport. So what will this show do to football? Will there be more players ousted? Will there be a clean up. Chances are there wont be. If your top striker is scoring 30 goals a season, sells millions of shirts worldwide and is the back bone of your team, but likes a toot on the old cocaine during a night out are you going to out him? Or keep it quiet and deal with him in private? We are talking about players worth millions and millions of pounds. As much as I admire Dispatches honesty it was a huge let down and didnt really confirm anything I hadnt long since suspected anyway. As for the effect it will have on football? The FA will find ways around it just as FIFA have avoided their own dramas this year. This fact-finding documentary will be rendered virtually useless unfortunately. Dispatches 1 Football 2, is my verdict.