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MELBOURNE :Whistleblowers have accused the Australian Football League (AFL) of conducting “off-the-books” drug testing of players and covering up positive results, a Federal lawmaker told Australian parliament late on Tuesday.
Member of parliament Andrew Wilkie said allegations of “egregious misconduct” had been provided by former Melbourne Demons president Glen Bartlett, club doctor Zeeshan Arain and Shaun Smith, the father of a player accused of drug trafficking.
The allegations included off-the-books testing for drugs at a Melbourne clinic, with players who test positive rested from matches “ostensibly on account of injury”, said Wilkie.
“If there are no illegal drugs in the player’s system they are free to play, and if there are drugs in their system the player is often asked to fake an injury.
“They are advised to lie about a condition, while the results of the off-the-book tests are kept secret and are never shared with Sports Integrity Australia or WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency),” he told parliament.
Sports Integrity Australia (SIA) is the national anti-doping authority.
The AFL, the national governing body for Australian Rules football, is a signatory to WADA’s anti-doping code but runs a separate policy for drugs like cocaine and ecstasy that are more associated with social use than enhanced performance.
Players who record a first positive test under the AFL’s illicit drugs policy, which is currently under review, receive a suspended A$5,000 ($3,300) fine and counselling but are not publicly named.
The AFL said it was “unapologetic” about doctors taking steps to prevent players from participating in training or competition if they test positive under their illicit drugs policy.
“… Because having illicit substances in your system on match-day may be deemed performance-enhancing and a breach of the Australian Football Anti-Doping Code (depending on the substance involved),” it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The Melbourne football club did not provide immediate comment when contacted by Reuters on Wednesday.
A slew of AFL players have tested positive for cocaine in recent years.
Melbourne’s Joel Smith, whose father Shaun was cited in the allegations against the AFL, has been provisionally suspended since October following a positive test for cocaine after a match last season.
The AFL said last month SIA had charged Smith with anti-doping breaches including alleged “trafficking or attempted trafficking” to third parties.
Wilkie’s comments to parliament came hours after two Sydney Swans players in the women’s AFLW competition were suspended by the AFL following a police charge for cocaine possession during the off-season.
“Hundreds of thousands of Australians will watch the game not knowing that the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL, and thousands of Australians will bet on that game not knowing the game has been secretly manipulated by the AFL,” Wilkie told parliament.
($1 = 1.5295 Australian dollars)
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