DiegoDiego Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 This might seem naive, but aren't they randomly tested for banned substances anyway? Not just at international level, but on club duty too.Surely it'll be much more difficult for top footballers to get away with, compared to track and field athletes.Drug testing is a joke in most sports. Serena Williams went two years without being tested out of competition whilst she was world number one. Football is even laxer. There's a long history of doping in football and if you think it's decreased after becoming a billion pound industry then you're pretty naive. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 20 minutes ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: This might seem naive, but aren't they randomly tested for banned substances anyway? Not just at international level, but on club duty too. Surely it'll be much more difficult for top footballers to get away with, compared to track and field athletes. I always imagined that it's like in any industry. People will be looking for every little avenue they can find to get an edge, some of which are going to be less than legal. But as long as they're ahead of the curve, they're ok. By the time the authorities catch up and say "aye, you canny do that", they've either already moved on to the next thing, or they can hold their hands up and quietly move it into the background ready to move on to the next thing. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 6 hours ago, BigFatTabbyDave said: This might seem naive, but aren't they randomly tested for banned substances anyway? Not just at international level, but on club duty too. Surely it'll be much more difficult for top footballers to get away with, compared to track and field athletes. We've no room to crow on this front. Figures may have increased recently but SFA conducted just 8 drug tests in first 9 months of 2015-16 (i.e. Jul-Dec... and none were after December). There were 0 conducted in first 7 months of 2016-17. Plus that covers all domestic levels not just Premiership. https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/35776618 https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/15039663.scottish-football-has-been-drug-test-free-this-season/ 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackandGold Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 UEFA have just tweeted VAR is to be used in the play-off games 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ginaro Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) 3 minutes ago, BlackandGold said: UEFA have just tweeted VAR is to be used in the play-off games Good. Wouldn't want to concede a penalty thanks to a horrendous decision like Northern Ireland had two years ago in their WC play-off. Edited December 4, 2019 by Ginaro 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craigkillie Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) It's a scourge on football, but this is hardly surprising. I wouldn't be shocked to see it used for the Scottish Cup semis and final given that it's going to be set up at Hampden anyway for this game and the Euros. Edited December 4, 2019 by craigkillie 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forameus Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 25 minutes ago, craigkillie said: It's a scourge on football, but this is hardly surprising. I wouldn't be shocked to see it used for the Scottish Cup semis and final given that it's going to be set up at Hampden anyway for this game and the Euros. I can see it going "fine" (in VAR terms) in the playoffs, but if the SFA bring it in and have control...ooooooh wow. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charger29 Posted December 4, 2019 Author Share Posted December 4, 2019 World cup play-off format also decided now.Ten quali group winners go to the WC. There will be three teams going to the WC through the playoffs. 12 teams will fight for those three spots, with ten quali runners up + two nations league group winners who haven't already qualified. The 12 will be split into three brackets, (single leg semi and final, home team for final decided by draw etc.)If that had happened with this round of NL/Euro qualifying, Bosnia and Scotland would have been the two NL playoff teams. Seems a bit weird to me. Will probably come down to goal difference to decide who goes from the NL. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HibeeJibee Posted December 4, 2019 Share Posted December 4, 2019 (edited) Seriously dislike retaining these 1-legged playoffs. Anyway here's schedule... 2 editions of NL between Euro 2020 & WC 2022 ! No warm-ups for WC 2022, btw. 2020 Mar ... Euros playoff SFs & Finals Jun ... Euro 2020 Sep ... Nations League days 1 & 2 Oct ... Nations League days 3 & 4 Nov ... Nations League days 5 & 6 2021 Mar ... WC qualifying days 1 & 2 Jun ... WC qualifying days 3 & 4 / Nations League finals tournament Sep ... WC qualifying days 5 & 6 Oct ... WC qualifying days 7 & 8 Nov ... WC qualifying days 9 & 10 2022 Mar ... WC playoff SFs & Finals / Nations League Division C relegation playoffs Jun ... Nations League days 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 (quadruple-header) Sep ... Nations League days 5 & 6 Dec ... WC 2022 Edited December 4, 2019 by HibeeJibee 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambomo Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 On 02/12/2019 at 08:38, BigFatTabbyDave said: This might seem naive, but aren't they randomly tested for banned substances anyway? Not just at international level, but on club duty too. Surely it'll be much more difficult for top footballers to get away with, compared to track and field athletes. They should be but I don't think they are tested on any kind of regular or consistent basis, or they are not tested enough. I think the authorities are too scared because i'd be surprised if many of the top players don't register for something and they simply don't want to know so they don't have to act. There was a story a while back that Dr Ferrari, who doped up lance Armstrong, had been working with Barcelona (and I think maybe other Spanish teams) and he had frozen blood from them discovered during the investigation. I am also aware that there are people who use drugs even at amateur level running, so the idea that most top-level sports aren't rife with it seems absurd. If people will do it for small-time glory and a few hundred quid, what will they do in a sport like football? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scosha Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 (edited) Russia banned from global sports for 4 years. Have we qualified? Edit - apparently doesn't apply to continental competitions Edited December 9, 2019 by Scosha 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tout P'ti FC Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Russia banned from global sports for 4 years. Have we qualified? [emoji38]Get in WADA. Let's imagine we've qualified. Denmark, Finland and Belgium in Group B. We'll surely have a sniff at qualifying in third from that group. I have a dream! 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Le Tout P'ti FC Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Oh bollocks. Dream crushed. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 So they're banned from the World Cup and Olympics, but it's perfectly fine for UEFA to let them compete in the Euros. It stinks. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bully Wee Villa Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Scotland have to take this to court. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burnie_man Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 (edited) So unless they win their appeal, they're banned from World Cup Qualifying starting in March 2021, but in June/July 2020 it's fine, they're not drugs cheats The other competing nations should make an issue of this. We can also draw them in the Nations League starting September 2020. Edited December 9, 2019 by Burnie_man 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Aldo Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 Russia have always been cheating b*****ds in every sport. First Ivan Drago, now this. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Moonster Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 On 26/11/2019 at 10:37, The Moonster said: Nothing will happen. Nothing ever happens. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Master Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 As much as I'd rather we didn't qualify by default, the idea that UEFA aren't a "major event organisation" seems at odds with WADA's own definition thereof: Quote Major Event Organizations: The continental associations of National Olympic Committees and other international multisport organizations that function as the ruling body for any continental, regional or other International Event. https://www.wada-ama.org/sites/default/files/resources/files/isccs_april_2018_0.pdf Surely UEFA "function as [a] ruling body for [a] continental...Event"? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marsh Posted December 9, 2019 Share Posted December 9, 2019 (edited) It's due to WADA's jurisdiction not covering UEFA because they're not a "major event organisation" apparently. Edit: Beaten to it Edited December 9, 2019 by Marsh 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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