FIFA says it has assessed new information related to doping in Russia based on a review of fresh evidence and submitted questions for the key whistleblower.
Players from Russia's World Cup squad in 2014 are among 34 soccer cases under suspicion after being identified in a World Anti-Doping Agency investigation by Richard McLaren into drug use across Russian sports that relied on evidence and cooperation from Grigory Rodchenkov, the former Moscow and Sochi lab director.
Although Rodchenkov has admitted to overseeing the destruction of about 8,000 doping controls in 2014 following a German television expose, WADA managed to retrieve 3,000 samples, including 154 from soccer players.
FIFA also has access to additional evidence from a database from Rodchenkov's laboratory that could help to prosecute cases.
FIFA said in a statement to The Associated Press "after conducting an initial review of the new data from the Moscow laboratory provided recently by WADA, FIFA has now submitted a list of specific questions to the WADA designated lawyer for him to forward them to Dr. Rodchenkov."
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