South African football retains low doping-risk status for 2026/27 season

The South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) says domestic football will retain its low doping-risk status as the 2026/27 season begins, with violations remaining uncommon across the game.

All participants in professional football in South Africa are required to comply with the regulations issued by SAIDS, while clubs also carry anti-doping responsibilities connected to ensuring those rules are followed.

SAIDS chief executive Khalid Galant said the doping picture in football remained relatively positive when compared with other sports, although he stressed that the risks could not be measured in exactly the same way.

“Our football in SA has been pretty good compared to rugby,” says Galant.

“The doping risk in football is different, but it is also unfair to compare the two

“The last doping positive was cocaine (Ntshumnayelo).

“We rarely pick up doping violations in football because the doping risk in football is lesser,” says Galant adding that no notice testing remains applicable in the league.

Galant said SAIDS continues to conduct testing without prior warning during the domestic campaign. The organisation randomly chooses matches and players for testing, meaning clubs and individuals are not informed in advance of every assessment.

“We randomly select matches and players that need to be tested in our no notice testing.

“It doesn’t have to be the Nedbank Cup or a specific competition,” he notes.

The comments come as the Premier Soccer League begins another season under the existing anti-doping framework. Testing is not restricted to a particular tournament, and SAIDS retains the ability to select fixtures from across the domestic schedule.

The last recorded football anti-doping case in South Africa involved Thandani Ntshumayelo, who tested positive for cocaine in 2016.

At the time, Ntshumayelo was given a four-year suspension, while Orlando Pirates terminated his contract. He subsequently appealed against the punishment and had the ban reduced to two years.

However, by then his playing career was already in decline.

Ntshumayelo’s case remains the most recent recorded positive involving a footballer in the country, according to the information provided by SAIDS. Galant’s assessment indicates that football continues to present a lower doping risk than some other sporting codes, while no-notice testing remains a key part of the monitoring process.

The anti-doping obligations apply to all participants in professional football and place responsibility on clubs to support compliance with the rules promulgated by SAIDS.

Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images