World Cup 2018: FIFA speaks on Russian players using drugs

FIFA on Sunday, rejected a British media report, alleging doping cover-ups among Russian national team football players.

The world football governing body said it had not found any evidence of doping among Russia’s players, as the country hosts the 2018 World Cup.

Reiterating a statement it made last month, FIFA said, “insufficient evidence was found to assert an anti-doping rule violation by any footballer.”

It added that the investigations opened last month against players named in Russia’s preliminary squad had been closed.

Rubin Kazan defender Ruslan Kambolov, investigated by FIFA over alleged doping violations, was named in Russia’s preliminary squad last month but later sustained an injury and was left out of the final selection.

“In the course of the investigations, FIFA looked at every possible evidence, leaving no stone unturned,” the global football governing body said.