COLLINGWOOD football supremo Neil Balme has called on the AFL to break away from the World Anti-Doping Agency.
The Pies football manager became familiar with the WADA process first hand while dealing with authorities over the Lachie Keeffe and Josh Thomas case.
Now, in response to the mass suspension of 34 past and present Essendon players, Balme has gone public calling for a new process.
"We shouldn't be part of the WADA program, that's my view, of course we shouldn't," Balme told Melbourne radio station SEN.
"If we've ever had to deal with what WADA or ASADA do, it's almost a huge, political thing, that you can’t even fight against."
Balme went on to question the credibility of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
"Well, who’s CAS? You reckon they are independent, who appointed those blokes?" Balme asked.
"I reckon it might have been WADA or ASADA – they’re independent?
"They’re not very trustworthy I reckon. Would this CAS mob be independent?"
Professional US sporting codes like the NFL and NBA aren't signatories to WADA and have their own anti-doping codes.
On the of the CAS ruling, AFL Commission chairman Mike Fitzpatrick flagged a conversation about the way the WADA code works for team sport.
"This Essendon process has taken too long, and CAS's judgment today invites a discussion about the way the code applies to team sports in future," Fitzpatrick said.
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-01-22/balme-blasts-wada-calls-for-afl-to-break-away
