Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 24 hours you will have seen the Spiegel Online article about the actions of Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo during doping control tests between February and June 2017.
If you have been living under a rock, you can catch up here: Football Leaks Doping Tests And Real Madrid
This story combines many of my favourite elements of other doping scandals across a variety of sports – a bumbling doctor (previously seen in Team Sky’s jiffy bag debacle with Dr Richard Freeman), delaying a doping test for a considerable period (as per Mo Farah’s delaying tactics Mo Farah Makes Drug Testers Wait Over Two Hours For A Sample), a sportsperson angry about being target tested (à la Serena Williams), a corticosteroid (like Bradley Wiggins), incorrect record keeping (similar to Dr Rob Chakraverty) and a toothless governing body (akin to, well, most sports governance!)
So let’s break this Real Madrid down further and look into each major point by asking:
- What happened?
- Is it an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) that should result in a ban?
- If it is an Anti-Doping Rule Violation why was the player nor banned?
What happened?
On the 1st of February, 2017, Ronaldo complained, after two attempts to secure a blood sample from him that he was being target tested and “caused a lot of tension in the doping control station” according to the UEFA officers that were present. So much tension, in fact, that Real Madrid’s team doctors showed up and conducted the tests on eight of the remaining ten players. (Ronaldo and Kroos were tested by UEFA’s DCOs)
Is it an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) that should result in a ban?
Absolutely, WADA consider this to be a clear anti-doping rule violation, as per their own website WADA Code:
“Tampering or attempted tampering with any part of doping control. For example, intentionally interfering with a doping control officer.”
Also, according to UEFA’s own rules this should not have happened UEFA rules on doping tests:
“UEFA’s doping controls are all conducted by UEFA’s own doping control officers (DCOs), a group of 55 medical doctors from 27 different countries.”
If it is an anti-doping rule violation why was the player nor banned?
No idea. This is a blatant ADRV and yet eight players have gone unpunished. Also, Real Madrid’s medical staff who impeded the work of the Doping Control Officers have not faced any consequences for interfering with correct anti-doping procedures.
UPDATE: It has come to my attention from a friend who is very knowledgeable in the murky world of anti-doping that, on occasion, medical staff will be permitted by the Chief Doping Control Officer to withdraw player’s blood for testing. It is rare, but it can happen. On those occasions where it does happen, the medical staff and the DCO’s have to record this on the doping control forms and have witnesses provide written statements to that effect. Therefore, if this is what happened on February 1st 2017, and proper protocols were followed, it would be clearly documented and therefore easy for Real Madrid, UEFA and WADA to explain away. Their silence on the matter suggests otherwise…
What happened?
On July 5th, WADA scientists contact UEFA to tell them that Sergio Ramos’ sample contained dexamethasone – a substance which is banned in competition. Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid which reduces inflammation and pain. It has also been proven to reduce fatigue.
Is this an anti-doping rule violation that should result in a ban?
Yes, if Ramos took dexamethasone in competition, and its use is not recorded by the team doctor. In this case its use was not recorded by the team doctor, as evidenced by the fact that in the doping control record form there is a space to list all medicines taken in the past seven days and there is no mention of dexamethasone. Another question is, when did Ramos use dexamethasone, and was it at least 12 hours before the match, and therefore deemed to be out of competition? Neither Ramos nor the doctor provided any evidence to support the claim that it was, the doctor merely reported that it was administered “the day before.” He only claimed this after the positive test for dexamethasone was returned.
If it is an anti-doping rule violation why was the player nor banned?
It is unclear why Ramos was never sanctioned. As the Spiegel Online article notes: “No disciplinary action was taken, neither against the player nor against the team doctor from Real Madrid, despite all of the anomalies in the case.” When a lab returns an Adverse Analytical Finding (the positive test for dexamethasone, in this case) the next step in the process is that this finding will be analysed, along with any supporting data, such as the chain of custody form, the DCO report, lab reports etc. This data is reviewed by a panel, in this case a UEFA panel, to decide whether an anti-doping rule violation has been committed and whether there is enough evidence to sanction the athlete. In light of these revelations by Spiegel Online, some transparency from this UEFA review panel would assist in the understanding of why it was decided that the positive test in this case did not warrant being sanctioned as an anti-doping rule violation.
Further, the doctor who treated Ramos claimed human error, that he had administered dexamethasone to Ramos, but in the excitement of the evening he had written down the name of a different medication, betamethasone, on the doping control record form. But hey, accidents happen, right? Especially when you are a team doctor at one of the biggest, richest and most successful football clubs in the world.
So the doctor wrote betamethasone instead of dexamethasone. That clears everything up, right? Wrong. It turns out that betamethasone is also a corticosteroid which has similar effects and is also prohibited in competition. Looking at UEFA’s own guidelines regarding banned substances it would suggest that Ramos has numerous questions to answer. UEFA state (UEFA Anti-Doping Guide For Players):
“You must always check that the medicine does not contain a banned substance before you take it. Your team doctor should be able to help with this. If the medicine does contain a banned substance and it is the only medicine that will help your condition, you need to apply for a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) to enable you to use it. Your team doctor will help you to fill in the application and to send it to the right
organisation (eg. NADO/UEFA/FIFA), but it is your responsibility to make sure it is sent.”
and:
“It is always your responsibility, whether the offence involves a banned substance in your body when you are tested, a refusal to be tested, a whereabouts violation, or any other type of anti-doping rule violation. Remember, it is your body and your career and you cannot blame anyone else.”
However, in this case it looks like it Ramos was absolved of his personal responsibility for what substances are found in his body and he was allowed to blame someone else.
What happened?
Sergio Ramos delayed a doping control test by taking a shower.
Is it an anti-doping rule violation (ADRV) that should result in a ban?
It depends. WADA code allows an athlete to delay for press engagements or to finish a training session, but says nothing about showering. The Doping Control Officer noted that he had refused when Ramos suggested taking a shower, but Ramos insisted, and showered in full view of the DCO. While WADA does not appear to have a clear rule against showering, Spanish law seems to (according to Spiegel Doping Tests and Real Madrid):
“When a player who is summoned for a doping test on Spanish territory showers or bathes prior to providing a urine sample, it could also constitute a violation of the country’s anti-doping laws. The Spanish parliament has strengthened the country’s doping legislation in recent years. The transgression that Ramos has been accused of can be found under paragraph 22.1.e). It reads: “Obstaculación de cualquier parte de los procedimientos de control de dopaje.” In English: “Obstruction of a part of doping control procedures.”
If it is an anti-doping rule violation why was the player nor banned?
By Spanish law it would appear that this should be considered an anti-doping rule violation and therefore Ramos should have been sanctioned for it.
So there you have it – three stories, two definite anti-doping rule violations and a highly questionable one. Could it be that one of the richest and most successful teams in world football is simply unaware of doping control procedures, or were they engaging in active attempts to undermine the testing process on each one of these occasions?
We will probably never know more than Der Spiegel have already uncovered about these incidents, and it is unlikely that Ronaldo, Ramos or the Real Madrid doctors will ever face sanctions for these offences, but it will be useful to remember these stories the next time you hear a Real Madrid match being described as “unbelievable” or “out of this world”…
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