Wenger: UEFA rules ‘basically accept doping’

Arsene Wenger has called on UEFA to change its rules on drug cheats, saying the current regulations “basically accept doping”.

Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Arijan Ademi was handed a four-year ban for failing a drugs test after the Croatian side beat Arsenal in the Champions League in September.

Zoran Mamic’s side won 2-1 in Zagreb and now Arsenal face them again at the Emirates Stadium knowing they must secure a victory to stand any chance of getting out of their group.

Wenger has been outspoken against doping, especially in a recent interview with L’Equipe Sport & Style, and questioned why UEFA rulings means there is no way of disqualifying a team from continental competition unless more than two players fail a test.

Asked if he found the regulations strange, Wenger said: “Yes, of course.

“It’s a surprising rule. UEFA applies the rule that is planned but I personally don’t agree with the rule. You cannot say that they had a doped player but the result stands.

“That means you basically accept doping. But it is the rule and we accept that. We have to look at ourselves and deal with our own performance.”

The Frenchman believes the rules need to be altered but admitted he did not know how much public backing he would receive after seeing UEFA’s doping team visit Arsenal’s training ground shortly after his recent comments.

“I don’t know if I would have the support of anybody but I came out on that and as a result we had a doping control from UEFA on Friday,” he added.

“We had 10 people on Friday to control us. I do not want to speculate too much on the career of a player. In between (the match in September and now) he has been punished. There are two things: our performance on the day and the fact that they had a doped player.”

Wales were left fuming after the same ruling saw them miss out on a place at Euro 2004.

Russia’s Yegor Titov failed a drugs test after the first leg of a qualification play-off, in which he was an unused substitute, before he played a part in the second leg which saw Mark Hughes’ Wales miss out.

UEFA stated at the time that, because only one squad member had recorded a positive result, it was the player and not the team who was liable.

The 2-1 loss in Croatia was the first of three damaging defeats in Arsenal’s first four Group F matches which have left their European hopes hanging by a thread.

Even victory on Tuesday night may not be enough if Bayern Munich fail to beat Olympiacos in Germany.

Arsenal were thrashed 5-1 when they visited Munich a fortnight ago and they have now only won one in five.