Although there is no obvious advantage of officials taking performance-enhancing substances, FIFA's chief medical officer Jirí Dvorák said testing could still happen.

"We have to consider referees as part of the game," Dvorák (pictured below) told a medical conference on the eve of FIFA's 208-nation Congress which was due to open later in the day but will not get into its stride until Friday.

"We have started to discuss this and this is something for the future which will be discussed to include possibly an anti-doping programme for referees.

"We do not have an indication that this is a problem but this is something we have to look at.

"The referees are a neglected population."


Michel D'Hooghe, chairman of FIFA's Medical Committee, added: "The referee is an athlete on the field so I think he should be subjected to the same rules."

England's top referee, Howard Webb (pictured top), who attended the conference, said he didn't think doping existed in his profession.

"I don't think it's an issue for any of us because we are not in competition as such," he said.

"But if FIFA want to do it, that's fine by me."

On the same podium, the World Anti-Doping Agency's (WADA) director general David Howman revealed that his organisation's rules may be softened in future to allow team sport athletes banned for doping to return to training earlier – in line with those from individual sports.

"We are looking for ideas on how reductions or an early return to training can be done," Howman said after a direct intervention from D'Hooghe.

Howman (pictured below) also believes the revision of the WADA Code, a draft of which he said would be ready on June 1, will make it far harder to break the rules.


"Having completed a review of our rules, we are devoting our time and energy to make sure the practise of those rules is effective so that those cheating are discovered," Howman said, adding it was vital to spread WADA's resources better so as to prioritise catching the dopers.

"We are looking very carefully with our signatories to ensure we concentrate on quality not quantity," he said.

"It's not the numbers that count but the way the money is spent.

"We must balance that with the ever-increasing sophistication among those desperate to cheat.

"We are warned on a daily basis of bad guys distributing steroids.

"They are ones influencing out athletes and we must deal with them."

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