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Emma Quayle
Essendon is likely to face "several" anti-doping charges for its controversial supplements program, according to outgoing World Anti-Doping Agency president John Fahey.
In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Fahey expressed anger that Essendon had not been examined by WorkSafe Victoria for the program that saw the club fined $2 million by the AFL and senior coach James Hird suspended for 12 months.
While the AFL has received no information that Essendon players would be issued with infraction notices, the ASADA investigation is ongoing.
“I expect there will be several charges by ASADA. It's only a matter of when," said Fahey, who finishes as WADA boss at the end of this month.
“I've always prided myself that Australians played tough but fair. And then it was 'hang on, now we're cheating'.”
Fahey told the AFR it was disgraceful the way "the club has locked arms around itself and said we'll fix this" and questioned why WorkSafe Victoria had taken no action against the club. He said he also expected charges to be laid against NRL players.
“Where is WorkSafe Victoria in all of this? How can James Hird be at the helm of the club as the head coach when 4000-plus injections have been given to playing staff, none of which anybody can tell us what it was, most of which we know is not approved for human consumption, and put at risk these kids, and not have WorkSafe Victoria banging on their door that this is an unsafe workplace?" he said.
"Nothing's been done there – that's the sacred cow AFL is. It's disgraceful that WorkSafe haven't been in there tipping it on its head.”
“No sports minister or sports official I've met anywhere in the world wants to have their athletes in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The first thing they say to you is 'how can we fix this?' "They'll give you all the support you want and tell you why it's so important to fight drugs in sport as long as it's not their sport.
"When their sport gets caught with it, they want to make it go away. If they can cover it up, they will.”
Essendon is likely to face "several" anti-doping charges for its controversial supplements program, according to outgoing World Anti-Doping Agency president John Fahey.
In an interview with the Australian Financial Review, Fahey expressed anger that Essendon had not been examined by WorkSafe Victoria for the program that saw the club fined $2 million by the AFL and senior coach James Hird suspended for 12 months.
While the AFL has received no information that Essendon players would be issued with infraction notices, the ASADA investigation is ongoing.
“I expect there will be several charges by ASADA. It's only a matter of when," said Fahey, who finishes as WADA boss at the end of this month.
“I've always prided myself that Australians played tough but fair. And then it was 'hang on, now we're cheating'.”
Fahey told the AFR it was disgraceful the way "the club has locked arms around itself and said we'll fix this" and questioned why WorkSafe Victoria had taken no action against the club. He said he also expected charges to be laid against NRL players.
“Where is WorkSafe Victoria in all of this? How can James Hird be at the helm of the club as the head coach when 4000-plus injections have been given to playing staff, none of which anybody can tell us what it was, most of which we know is not approved for human consumption, and put at risk these kids, and not have WorkSafe Victoria banging on their door that this is an unsafe workplace?" he said.
"Nothing's been done there – that's the sacred cow AFL is. It's disgraceful that WorkSafe haven't been in there tipping it on its head.”
“No sports minister or sports official I've met anywhere in the world wants to have their athletes in the headlines for the wrong reasons. The first thing they say to you is 'how can we fix this?' "They'll give you all the support you want and tell you why it's so important to fight drugs in sport as long as it's not their sport.
"When their sport gets caught with it, they want to make it go away. If they can cover it up, they will.”
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