Italy plans to introduce a tough sports anti-doping law by the end of the year, with offenders facing up to 10 years in jail, reports said yesterday. A bill with all-party support was presented to the Italian senate in Rome on Tuesday by Dr Francesco Carella, a member of the ruling coalition.

Doping will be an offence under the Italian penal code for the first time - but only for those supplying or administering banned drugs. Athletes will still be disciplined by sports authorities.

Doctors, chemists and sports coaches breaking the law will face up to five years in prison and up to 10 years if drugs are administered to athletes under-18.

Medical firms, meanwhile, will have to file biannual reports with the Italian health ministry on the production, imports, distribution and sales of products containing steroids and growth hormones.

Those containing drugs banned by the International Olympic Committee will have to be clearly identified.

The law could go even further and cover popular restoratives such as creatine, a widely-used and perfectly legal amino acid which improves muscle-performance.

The bill will also remove the authority for doping controls from the national Olympic committee (CONI), whose test laboratory at Acqua Acetosa near Rome has been exposed as a fiasco.

It emerged recently the laboratory checked few of its 4,000 annual tests on footballers for steroids.

The new bill envisages a national committee on drugs, with members appointed by the deputy prime minister and including health ministry representatives.

AS Roma football coach Zdenek Zeman caused a storm two months ago by warning that Italian football risked becoming drugs-infested.