A survey has challenged the popular conception that English football is a drugs-free zone.
A poll of 700 players interviewed for a BBC documentary reveals that 46 per cent of professionals know a colleague who uses recreational drugs like marijuana or cocaine.
The same number believe the sport is facing a substance-abuse problem.
Random testing is conducted by the English Football Association after games and at training grounds, but the programme claims 5.8 per cent of players have advanced warning.
Professor Ivan Waddington from the University of Leicester, who conducted the survey, tells tomorrow's 'Real Story'on BBC1 that football is facing more of a threat than had previously been thought.
"It certainly is a significant minority and it suggests that the use of performance-enhancing drugs is rather more widespread than the FA test results would indicate," he said.
"Young players between 19 and 24, who were most likely to report they knew players who used drugs, suggest that the increase is a very recent phenomenon."
AFP