Arsene Wenger questions validity of Zagreb’s tarnished win

Arsene Wenger has accused Uefa of accepting doping, weeks after the Arsenal manager called for improved testing amid claims that teams have flaunted rules in the past.

Arsenal play Dynamo Zagreb in the Champions League tonight, but their costly 2-1 defeat in Croatia earlier in the campaign was marred by a positive test for the opposition midfielder Arijan Ademi. Ademi denies deliberately doping and the club have appealed against a four-year suspension.

Uefa allows a result to stand if only one player in a team is caught doping. Wenger has since called for routine blood tests in the game.

Asked about Uefa’s doping regulations that require more than one positive test for a result to change, he added: “It’s a surprising rule. Uefa applies the rule, that is planned, but I personally don’t agree with the rule. You cannot say ‘Okay, they had a doped player and 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.”

Arsenal are set to be without the midfielder Francis Coquelin for at least two months following his knee injury sustained at West Bromwich Albion. Coquelin was substituted during the first half of Arsenal's 2-1 defeat at The Hawthorns on Saturday and now faces a period on the sidelines.

"Certainly for the next two months we play without Coquelin. I'm cautious as we had so many bad surprises on scans that I do not want to speculate more than that," said Wenger before suggesting Calum Chambers or Mathieu Flamini could step into midfield, with Mikel Arteta also injured at the Hawthorns.

Arsenal are also without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Jack Wilshere, Danny Welbeck and Theo Walcott.

The London club play Zagreb knowing that they must win both remaining matches in the group stage to advance and hope other results go their way.

Dinamo Zagreb coach Zoran Mamic has told Wenger he should write his own rules if he wants to see the Croatian side kicked out of the Champions League.

“Mr Wenger can think and talk about what he wants but there are other people who make decisions about that and that will be in the future,” said Mamic, whose side will be appealing Ademi’s ban.

“I can suggest him to write the rules for Uefa. I think this situation is not the point of this press conference so we don’t need to talk about Ademi.”

Uefa’s regulations side with Mamic as Wenger’s comments brought a response from European football’s governing body, pointing to the relevant section of the Wada code and the governing body’s use of blood tests in addition to urine tests.

Uefa spokesman Pedro Pinto said in a statement: "Uefa's anti-doping regulations regarding the consequences for teams for doping offences are strictly in accordance with article 11 of the Wada code that states that 'where more than one team member in a team sport has been notified of a possible anti-doping rule violation, the team shall be subject to target testing for the event.

“If more than two team members in a team sport are found to have committed an anti-doping rule violation during the event, the team may be subject to disqualification or other disciplinary action’.”

While Wenger said in a recent interview with L'Equipe Sport & Style that he feared doping in football was an issue, Mamic again disagreed and insisted that it is correct for the 2-1 victory in the opening group game to stand.

“Of course,” he said when asked if it was fair the result stands in the wake of Ademi’s ban. “I don’t think there is a problem with doping in football. There are cases in football but they are rare. I think there is something going on, what I know is going on, what I read, football is quite a clean sport.”

Guardian Service