Six professional footballers failed tests for recreational drugs last season as FA clamp down on usage
Players' identities have not been revealed but leagues in which tests were carried out are Premier League and Football Leagues
SIX professional footballers failed anti-doping tests for recreational drugs last season, it has been claimed.
The players' identities have not been revealed but the leagues in which tests were carried out are the Premier League, Football Leagues, Under-18 and 21 and Women's Super Leagues, according to .
The FA contracts UK Anti-Doping to run out-of-competition tests on footballers to search for traces of recreational drugs including cocaine, heroin, marijuana, LSD and ecstasy.
These are separate to post-match tests which are carried out to identify performance enhancing drugs.
Recreational drug use is not scrutinised by World Anti-Doping Agency but the FA is taking a tough stance against it.
Players can be banned for between one and three months for taking recreational drugs, six to 12 months if caught a second time and between 18 months and two years for a third offence.
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They are also required to attend a course and counselling.
An FA spokesperson said: "Under the Wada code, the FA is not obliged to test for social drugs out-of-competition.
“However, it does so under its own social drugs policy regulations to safeguard the physical health and mental well-being of players, uphold the ethics of the sport and protect the image of the game.
“Experience shows that offenders here are typically players who are experiencing difficulties in their lives or young players who are only starting their careers.
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“Whilst the FA seeks to sanction social drug use and impose suspensions, it also recognises that players in these circumstances would benefit from attending education courses, counselling and treatment in order to seek to overcome and cope with the difficulties they are facing.
“The FA shall decide in its absolute discretion whether or not to publish any detail relating to a charge brought under its social drugs policy regulations.”
In 2016 former Hull midfielder Jake Livermore escaped a ban despite testing positive for cocaine.
Livermore, now 28, failed the test almost a year after his newborn son Jake Junior died.
The FA decided not to suspend the England ace due to "the unique nature of circumstances" involved.