Soccer

Soccer is a sport with significant doping challenges, with 418 registered cases (2.8% of all violations). Brazil leads in violations with 44 cases, while Nandrolone is the most frequently detected substance (45 cases). The average suspension length is 22.7 months. Soccer ranks #9 globally among all sports tracked by the Anti-Doping Database..

Number of cases in Soccer Last 10 Years

Fédération Internationale de Football Association

If you use this statistics, please credit The Anti-Doping Database

Sport Global Ranking
1,493
···
418
Global Ranking: #9 of 178 sports

418

Soccer cases

2.8%

Of all violations

14,670

Total global cases
Soccer's share of all violations 2.8%
418 of 14,670

Soccer has the most violations in anti-doping rule violations globally, with 418 registered cases2.8% of all 14,670 verified cases in the Anti-Doping Database. Ranking in the top 10 globally.

Number of cases in Soccer By Country
Top Country: Brazil

44

Brazil cases

10.5%

Of global cases

418

Total Soccer cases
Brazil's share of Soccer violations 10.5%
44 of 418

Brazil has the most violations in Soccer with 44 registered violations, though cases are more evenly distributed globally. This represents 10.5% of the sport's 418 total cases globally.

The average suspension length for sanctioned Soccer athletes in Brazil is 22.7 months, shorter than the global average of 30.1 months.

Substance use in Soccer
Most Detected Substance: Nandrolone

45

Soccer cases

10.8%

Of sport cases

665

Global Nandrolone cases
Nandrolone's share of Soccer violations 10.8%
45 of 418

Nandrolone has the most violations in Soccer with 45 violations out of 418 total cases (10.8%). Though cases are more evenly distributed globally.

Globally, Nandrolone has been detected in 665 cases across all sports, ranking #5 among all prohibited substances.

The average suspension length for Nandrolone violations is 29.1 months, aligned with the global average.


Nandrolone, also known as 19-nortestosterone, is an anabolic androgenic steroid that occurs naturally in the human body, albeit in tiny quantities. The structure of the molecule is very similar to the male hormone testosterone, and it has many of the same effects in terms of increasing muscle mass and reducing the fatigue associated with training, and reducing the time required for recovery after physical exertion. Nandrolone, (usually in the form of injectable Deca Durabolin) is one of the most commonly abused anabolic androgenic compounds in the world. Since it is not metabolised to dihydrotestosterone Nandrolone has somewhat milder unwanted side effects than testosterone. It was previously used clinically for treatment of osteoporosis in post menopausal women at a dose of 50 mg every three weeks. However, as the abused doses are normally 10-100 times the therapeutic dose, side effects such as breast enlargement, acne, erectile dysfunction occurs in men and increased body hair, alteration of the voice, reduction of the breasts etc. in women. In addition, long term use leads to cardiovascular and liver damage. Nandrolone is metabolised to 19-norandrosterone, the substance detected in doping tests. Since it occurs naturally in the body there is a detection cut off concentration of 2 ng/ml and concentrations above that are considered suspicious. In 2007 the five-time track and field gold medalist Marion Jones admitted to use of the drug, and was sentenced to six months in jail for lying to a federal grand jury in 2000. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nandrolone http://www.chm.bris.ac.uk/motm/nandrolone/nandc.htm This substance (including esters such as decanoate and phenylpropionate) was added to the doping list ahead of the Montreal 1976 Olympic Games.

If you use this statistics, please credit The Anti-Doping Database

Number of Active Sanctions Ending Year for Soccer
Gender Distribution
Male 94.7
397 cases
Female 5.3
22 cases
Analysis: Soccer has a notably higher proportion of male cases (94.7%) compared to the global average (80.2%), a difference of 14.5 percentage points. Global average: 80.2% male, 19.8% female

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The Anti-Doping Database currently contains 14,670 verified anti-doping rule violations across all sports and all countries, and is updated regularly.