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FIFA Complies With World Anti-Doping Agency

FIFA has announced this week that it is changing their doping suspensions regulations and will make doping suspensions stricter with suspension period enlarged to 2 years. FIFA will give national soccer associations the ability to reduce such bans for special circumstances. This announcement comes as FIFA was pressured to comply with the World Anti-Doping Agency`s guidelines.

"In principle, we agree to the two-year suspensions, which in some cases could be more or could be less," Blazer told The Associated Press. "We still maintain individual case management." WADA argues that FIFA is not complying with their guidelines and that all governing bodies must abide with their code. Sports governing bodies that do not abide with WADA`s regulations might risk being removed from the Olympics.

WADA also argued that FIFA`s six months to two years was insufficient and threatened to recommend that the International Olympic Committee throw soccer out of the Summer games. FIFA now removes the six-month ban as a minimum suspension period, and makes all doping suspensions to be a two-year period.