France 1998 World Cup anti-doping row returns after former minister’s revelation

Former French sports minister Marie-George Buffet has admitted that surprise doping tests on the France squad were halted before the 1998 World Cup, a decision that has renewed questions about the circumstances surrounding the team’s home triumph.

The revelation was made in the documentary Zidane… The Making of a Legend, according to a report by Mundo Deportivo. It directly contradicts evidence Buffet gave under oath to a French Senate committee in 2013, when she denied that her ministry had issued instructions to stop surprise testing.

Buffet said that, after one unannounced doping control caused anger within the France camp, a decision was taken not to carry out any further surprise tests until the tournament had ended.

France went on to win the World Cup on home soil, defeating Brazil 3-0 in the final at the Stade de France, with Zinedine Zidane scoring twice. The suspension of surprise controls occurred before the tournament, which ended with Les Bleus lifting the trophy for the first time.

Alain Garnier, the doctor sent by the French Ministry of Sports to conduct the tests at the time, supported the account. He said he had been told not to “bother the French team again until the World Cup”, adding that the instruction was delivered verbally.

When Buffet was asked about Garnier’s version, she did not deny it.

“If Dr Garnier says that, it must be true,” she said, describing the decision as “a step backwards in the fight against doping”.

The admission has reopened debate in France about the events that preceded the country’s 1998 World Cup success. The issue is not an allegation that players failed a doping test, but rather the claim that surprise testing was stopped at a sensitive moment before the competition began.

It has also prompted widespread questioning because of the apparent inconsistency between Buffet’s latest comments and her testimony to the Senate in 2013. During that hearing, she stated under oath that her ministry had “issued no instructions” to halt surprise doping tests.

Garnier’s account suggests that the decision was communicated informally rather than through a written order. Buffet’s response has nevertheless raised concerns over who authorised the move and why no further surprise checks were conducted on the France squad for the remainder of the tournament.

The controversy has returned to public attention through the documentary, bringing fresh scrutiny to one of the most celebrated moments in French football history. France’s title remains the central fact of the 1998 World Cup, but the former minister’s admission has cast renewed doubt over the approach to anti-doping controls surrounding the team before the competition.