The Jordan Football Association (JFA) has filed an official complaint with the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) over the alleged mistreatment of Jordanian player Ahmad Hayel (pictured, left) by AFC doping control officials. Hayel was selected at random to undergo doping control after Jordan’s Asian Cup match against Iraq on 12 January 2015, however the doping test had to be abandoned.

‘Hayel arrived at the hotel after the doping test in a semi-coma, showing signs of general weakness and hypothermia’, read a 14 January JFA statement. ‘After investigations involving the player and the Jordanian team’s medical officer, who accompanied Hayel during the doping test, the following was reported. The doping control room was too cold. The player was given only water to drink for four hours (only water without any liquids containing salts or electrolytes). The player remained at the doping room for hours after the match and was very tired. Ahmad Hayel ended up vomiting at the doping room with no medical care from the AFC and no ambulance provided or arranged for the player. He was in a semi-coma, suffering low blood pressure and in the end, the player was sent to the hotel by car – not by ambulance – and was carried to his room on a wheelchair whilst unconscious…the player might be unable to play in Jordan’s next match against Palestine, which will kick off on Friday 16 January 2015.’

The AFC said that Hayel had been unable to complete the doping test, which was conducted as per the AFC Anti-Doping Regulations, due to his dehydrated condition. Temperatures of 24 degrees centigrade were reported in Brisbane at 7pm, when the match kicked off, but humidity was at 92%. ‘He had some dizziness, felt nausea and vomited after his second attempt, which was an hour after his first attempt, to give a urine sample for the test and as such, AFC Medical Officer Dr. Paisal Chantarapitak decided to discontinue the doping control procedure’, read a 14 January AFC statement. “As per the procedure, the AFC Medical Officer always recommends players selected for doping control drink water as per normal practice, especially for the player who has played 90 minutes”, said Dr. Chantarapitak. “It is at the player’s discretion whether to follow the recommendation or not. The player is not forced to drink plenty of water in a short time”.

Ahead of the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, a doping test on  Paddy Barnes was aborted because the Northern Irish boxer was dehydrated. In an interview with BBC Sport, he expressed his concern about the potential for illness after having to sit around in wet clothes after a training session.