Now Roger Clemens Definitely Won’t Be Playing at Euro 2008

March 14th, 2008 | by: Daryl | Comments(1)

It was pretty unlikely anyway, what with him being a baseball player and non-European. But now – assuming the allegations against Clemens are true, of course – it’s pretty much definite. Because UEFA have unveiled some pretty darn stringent anti-doping tactics. They’re going to take blood and urine samples from 10 players on each team before the tournament, and then from two players on each team after every single game. Here’s how UEFA explain it on their website:

The stringent new measures will enable the identification of banned substances, including the blood-boosting drug EPO, while a new technique to test for growth hormones will be used at an international event for the first time. Experts will also be able to determine whether a player’s blood has been abnormally manipulated by means of a transfusion.

Players have had to pee in cups before at the Euros, but they’ve never had blood taken. So if any players were planning on enhancing their performance with anything other than hard work, they’ll likely think again now. And if they are dumb enough to risk it, and then they get caught, the results of the blood samples will apparently be available within 48 hours.