CHELSEA TAKE ON THE FA

From The Telegraph

Chelsea said last night that they will vigorously defend a Football Association charge of misconduct for allegedly carrying out their own drug tests on Adrian Mutu.

The FA do not allow clubs to test their players independently, in case it leads to cover-ups of drug use by squad members. While there is no suggestion that Chelsea have attempted any kind of cover-up, they are the first club to be charged with this offence.

Chelsea are said by the FA to have carried out an independent test on Mutu July 12 last year (which proved negative), and have been charged with an alleged breach of regulation 1(e) of FA doping control regulations.

In a statement yesterday, Chelsea said: "The club feels that it has done nothing morally wrong. Chelsea is absolutely committed to the fight against drugs in football. We believe we have demonstrated this by our actions and would never attempt to contravene any rules in order to cover up drugs in sport."