Manchester City have been charged with a breach of anti-doping rules, the Football Association has announced.
The matter refers to rules concerning ‘club whereabouts’, but no other information concerning the alleged breach was initially given.
A statement from the FA read: “Manchester City have been charged in relation to the FA’s rules on anti-doping.
“It is alleged the club failed to ensure that their ‘club whereabouts’ information was accurate, contrary to Regulation 14(d). City have until 19 January 2017 to respond to the charge.”
The charge is one of misconduct relating to the club rather than any particular individuals.
Clubs are required to keep the FA informed of their teams’ whereabouts at all times to facilitate drug-testing. City would most likely face a fine if found guilty.
The matter concerns a breach of FA rules only and is not under the jurisdiction of the World Anti-Doping Agency, which has no provision for team violations in its code, or UK Anti-Doping.
